Festival Partners, Sponsors & Donors
BIG THANKS to the following generous supporters who have made this 8th Edition of the Festival possible! The Festival is puppet powered of course, but it’s people powered too! Thank you for making it all happen. The festival is a major investment in Chicago’s civic life, Chicago puppet artists, puppetry globally, and cross-cultural understanding.
2026 Festival Sponsors & Donors
$200,000 and up
Cheryl Lynn Bruce* &
Kerry James Marshall
Ferdi Foundation / Julie Moller*
Kristy* & Brandon Moran
$100,000 – $199,999
Jentes Family Foundation,
Justine Jentes & Dan Kuruna
$50,000 – $99,999
Paul M. Angell Family Foundation
The Reva & David Logan Foundation
$30,000 – $49,999
City of Chicago Department of
Cultural Affairs and Special Events
Richard H. Driehaus Foundation
The Marshall Frankel Foundation
Illinois Arts Council
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation
$20,000 – $29,999
Lannan Foundation
Pritzker Foundation
Deb & Andy Wolkstein
$15,000 – $19,999
Beatrice Barbareschi & David Pritzker
Mia Park & Ali Levy,
in honor of Paul Levy
Manaaki Foundation,
Sue Crothers-Gee & Bill Gee
Robert & Mayari Pritzker
Family Foundation
Nina & Steve Schroeder
$10,000 – $14,999
Anonymous
The Chicago Community Trust
Chicago Park District Night Out
in the Parks Program
Ginger Farley
Diane Goldin
Cheryl Henson
The Jane Henson Foundation
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Sarah Donovan & Jordan Shields*
John Supera*
Chuck Thurow
Pat Yuzawa-Rubin* & Jack Rubin
$5,000 – $9,999
Jennifer & Jonathan Bunge
Nancy Needles & Arne Rode
$2,500 – $4,999
Patti Gilford & Barry Bialek
Judy & Howard Friedman
The Jim Henson Foundation
Jin* & Joe Ivacic
Nancy & Michael Timmers
$1,000 – $2,499
Alicia Bird*
Nancy Bishop
Lisa D’Angelo & David Kaput
Carol Farver & Robert Needlman
Candice Goldstein & Abraham Steinberg
Susan & Peter Gray
Nancy Juda & Jens Brasch
Cristina & Bennett Lasko and
Tria Smith & Jim Lasko
Jossy Nebenzahl
Kim Ohms & Joe Novelli
Kate Thomas & Lloyd Perlow
Leesa & Jes Sherborne*
Benjamin & Bettina Van Cleave
Charitable Foundation
$500 – $999
Jim Blake
Leah Bohannon
Missy Burke
Becky & Jeff Chandler
Laurie Hammel & Bruce English
Molly & Tom Fleming
Deborah Garber
Kristin Boeke-Greven & Aaron Greven
Jacqueline Souroujon Henderson &
Hank Adams
Lisa & John Jensen
Sara & Chris Julsrud
Catherine Mertes
Linda Mishoulam
Caryl & Burt Lasko
Irina Niculescu Lewandowski &
John Lewandowski
Caroline Randazzo & Dave Frohardt-Lane
Nancy Rodin
Rhoda & Michael Schlesinger
Walter Stearns
Dee & Ron Tevonian
Dene & Gordon Thomas
Carolyn Toren & Tomas Petkus
Helen Zell
Jackie Zydeck & Ted Phillips
$250 – $499
Anonymous
Liz Aviles & Michael Sauer
Nancy & Randy Blankstein
Karen Carreno
Rupa Datta & Ravi Datta-Nemana
Rolanda Derderian
Sue Geshwender
Scott Golas
Mark Gullickson
Jennifer Hammond
Jill Mannor & Ken Konopka
Lisa & Steve Korol
Rudolph Rasin
Barry Rosen
David Rudman
Nancy & Barry Schultz
Eva Silverman
Tracy & Marc Whitehead
Steven Widerman & Linda Bookheim
$100 – $249
Anonymous (6)
Janet Bartoszek & Jeffrey Usow
Roger Bialcik
Geri Biamonte
Wendy Bloom & Art Kessler
Christine Busby
Irena Čajková
Michelle & Dane Carr
Christy Clark
Amber Creger
Mark Croghan
Molly Fitzgibbon
Honey Goodenough
Sinane Goulet
Jeremy Goyette
Vesna Grbovic
Mick Hans & Ellen Damlich
Mary Toll & William Heimann
Sarah Hosford, in honor of Cousin Blair
Kurt Hunter
Lynn Hyndman
Heather Jagman
Candice Kistner
Sheila Spade & Paul Kolenda
Karen Laner
Annelise & Thomas Lawson
Lorraine LeBlanc
Beatriz Ledesma
Roberta Lee
Jinzi Liang
Jill Liebhaber
Anna Lipowska
Debra & Steve Leonard
Charles Mackie & Janet Mesic Mackie
Eric Mahn
Sabrina Martin
Clio McConnell & Garrett Douglas
Maureen Mizwicki
Klára Moldová
Cecilia Morales
Zoe Norwood
Carolyn O’Brien
Susan Padula
Georga & Allen Parchem
Rhonda Pelk
Krista & Frank Pospisil
Rebecca Sachtleben
Tracy Seneca
Courtney Sherrer
Sandy Smith & Edward McCartin
Michelle Sterling, in memory of
Paul Levy
Susan Stodolsky
Rick Stoneham
Sutton Family
Dr. Charlotte Tsou
Marco Verzocchi
Caylei Vogelzang
Dr. Jamie Wabich
Erin Wage
Walsh-Rock Family
Julia Wayne & Scott Wirtz
Michelle Williams
Michelle Wilson & Eric Gaddis
Teresa Zhu & John Mitchell
$50-99
Anonymous (7)
Carol Barnett
Cheryl Bartholow
Marjorie & Stephan Benzkofer
Nancy Breseke
Joan Callahan
Cecilia Conrad
Sandy Denninger
Julie Didomenico
Robert DiBlasi, in honor of
Melissa Wiley
Shelby Dunster
Sofia Eddy
Joanne Engelke
Lori Fanning
Kristin Faust
Guilherme Feitosa de Almeida,
in memory of Sally Lynn Askins
Edward Feldman
Kyle Fennell
Geoffrey Flick
Kristina & Raj Goel
Juana Harper
Kristin & Michael Haverty
Sean Jaster
Kelly King
Alfred Kitch
The Klems
Sheri Korbet
Lydia Kowalski
Regina Bowgierd & John Kulczycki
Irene Kwasny
Jay Mamon
John Mancini
$50 – $99 (cont.)
Melissa Matarrese
Gicel Mercado
Janice Miller
Elizabeth Monkus
Eve Moran
Jenny Nagaoka
Nina Newhouser
Susan Noel
Aldona Olchowska
Audrey Petty & Maurice Rabb
Dennis Rutkowski
Leo Ryan
Jane Nicholl Sahlins
Philip Schwartz
Karen & Chad Spangler
Steven Starr
Trisha Steele, in memory of
Margery Curry
Nancy Steineke, in memory of
Jim Vopat
Jennifer Sutherland
Alan & Julia Adeney Thomas
Caroline Uy
Leslie Ventsch
Lisa Weiss
Jess & Andy Wickstrom
$25 – $49
Naiche Adler
Judith Alexander
Felice Amato
Travis Anderson
Suzanne Auburn, in honor of
Thomas Michel
Andrea Auther
Audrey Baker
Trenton Beals, in memory of
Patricia Beals
Penny Benson, in honor of
Adam Kreutinger
Christine Beukema
Eileen Bevis
Loretta Caravette
Bryan Chance
Kathy Collier
Elizabeth Coon, in honor of Birdy Keener
Ruth Cordes
Janice Curry
Sharon Davis Altiok
Juanita Dawn
Robert Deegan
Camille De Frank
Lynn Dempsey
Wendi & Andy Digerness
Delores Dousias
Mickey Duda
Myles Emmons
Tami Fauver
Michele Flanagin
Keli Frazier-Cox
Christine Freisinger
Ken Gerleve
Brian Gosell
Katherine Szoke
Elizabeth Hawley
Lizanne & Todd Hensley
Sarah Holden
Carrie Huff
Dontien Ingram
Joanna Iwanicka, in memory of
Vivienne Marie
Elliot Jackson, in honor of
Danny Thompson
Ian Jacobs
Vaidehi Joshi
Anne & Drew Kent
Marcia Koomen
Barbara Korbel
Josh Kraus
Elizabeth Kucaba
Delphine Labbé
Kim LeClair
Mark LevtinKatja Lunde
Judy Mason
Bradford Matson
Jo Mayer & Paul Crandall
Norine McCarten
Beth McGeehan
Alesa McGregor
Scott Metzger
Karen & Scott Migaldi
David Miller
Dr. Luke Miller
Anne Moss
Wendy Morton
Carla Murphy, in memory of Bill Baird
Deborah Murphy
Kristen Mylander
Aaron Newton
Matt Olson
Kris Ong
$25 – $49 (cont.)
Rose Parisi & Don Meckley
Tim Rairdon
Rachel Ramaswamy
Thorbjorn Rasmussen
Chloe Revery
Aleksandr Revzin
Kathy Rice
Karen Risinger
Bill Rowe
Scott Sachnoff, in honor of
Dr. Elaine Sachnoff
Craig Samuels
Bonnie Saunders
Donna Schatt
Leah Shafer
Keith Smith
Joseph Sotak
Michael Sphar
Louie Stallone
Natalia Tabisaura
Up to $25
Anonymous (49)
Lauren Asher
Joanna Aversa
Laura Barton
Kat Bawden
Taylor Bibat
Evelyn Bowman
Emmy Brady
Jessica Clerk
Jacqueline Coleman
Cat Davis
Maggie Dowling
Sarah Durbin
Deana E.
David Earley
Patrice Egleston
Shelley Firestone
Jack Franaszek
Mary Friedlieb
Brett Garry
Katherine Gean
Michael & Donna Lee Gennaro
Gillian Grant
Joan Greco, in honor of
Freddy and Andrew
Hattie Grimm
Marc Griseta
Sally Hewitt
Julie Heyduk
Megan Hillary
Hirschfeld / Kondrashov Family
Sol HM
Deidre Huckabay
Joanne Jacobson
DeungWon Kang
Heidi Kumao
Daniel Laloggia
Joanna Lapati
Daniel Lipe
Anna Malinsky, in honor of
Erzhy Kaminsky
Caitlin McLeod
Teresa Meza
Bill Michalski
Jean Noble
Taylor O’Brien
Kenneth Purscell
Katelin Reinert
Melinda Resser
Alva Rogers
Naama Rokem
Maija Rothenberg
David Rossetti
Savannah Rouse
Joan Rundell
Sarah Scott
Roshan Shankar
Terry Sofianos
Betsy Sproul
Adam Stefo
Kathryn Strickland
John Svorec
Susie Swanton
Stephanie Ticas
Anna Turner
Susan Underwood
Samantha V.
Andrij Vaskevics
Neil Verplank
Lisa Weiss
Tina Woelke
Emre Yilmaz