Tickets are On Sale for CELEBRATION OF AUTHORS 2026 on June 27!
CELEBRATION OF AUTHORS 2026!
SATURDAY, JUNE 27 from 12:30PM – 3:30PM CDT
At The NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MEXICAN ART
Sponsored by WINTRUST BANK & FORWARD SPACE
It’s both our annual gala AND a family-friendly, interactive festival!
Buy Tickets Now!
Silent Auction! Games! Food + Drinks! Open Bar for adult guests! 360 Photo Booth! And of course, LIVE performances of stories written by our students for the 2025/26 School Year!
Attire: Fancy Schmancy where you can come Fancy – dressed to the nines in your best attire. Or you can come Schmancy – with a silly hat or funny outfit that expresses YOU!
You can bid on our amazing Silent Auction Prizes at the event, or remotely from anywhere! Silent Auction items include: A Trip to Mexico with Vidanta Resorts, A Sailing Excursion, An At-Home Dungeons & Dragons Session, Dining Packages, Sports Tickets, Theatre Tickets, and MORE! Stay tuned for a preview and get those bids ready!
This is the most affordable & most FUN Gala in town!
Tickets include food, drinks, a show, and activities for all ages!
EARLY BIRD Adult Tickets (available through 5/31)—$50
EARLY BIRD Youth Tickets, ages 4 to 15 (available through 5/31)—$35
Adult Regular Tickets —$75
Youth Regular Tickets, ages 4 to 15 —$50
Children 3 years of age and under can attend for FREE
Because PlayMakers’ students rock, they typically go on to do exciting things. Every year, we use our banquet to honor a special alum. This year’s Annual Storyteller of the Year Award goes to Isabella Wilhemy Sanchez. Isabella is a special effects make up designer, and former PlayMakers Laboratory student!!!
Isabella Wilhelmy Sanchez has been in the performing arts ever since she was a student at Play Makers Laboratory. She graduated as a theater major from Lincoln Park High School and has been working in the Chicago Indie film scene working on shorts like The Crossing 2020, Perfectly Sane 2025, Wild Party 2025 and I Only Sleep When The Room Is Pitch Black 2025. Isabella has worked under Chicago based makeup artist Anthony Kosar learning more of the makeup profession and learning skills like laying beards and applying prosthetics to create characters/monsters. Isabella’s passion for story telling was nurtured by the teaching artists at PML and is thrilled to join us at the Celebration of Authors gala to share more of her journey, and to celebrate creatives of all ages in Chicago.
Buy Tickets Now!
Can’t attend our party? We’ll miss you! Consider donating to support arts education in Chicago. Thank you!
Additional Information:
This event is a fundraiser to support PML’s outstanding creative writing programming in partnership with Chicago Public Schools. 100% of the tickets proceeds will support PML classes! For 29 years PlayMakers Laboratory has served Chicago Public School students by providing a creative writing residency program aimed primarily at elementary schools. Our company of over 60 teaching artists utilizes creative drama and storytelling to promote literacy and self esteem during our in-school residencies and park district programming. Each year, our programs serve more than 4,000 young people across Chicago. In our 6 week writing residencies, a whopping 88% of students improve writing scores by at least one level over the course of our residencies. Plus, 100% of classroom teachers report that our program supports their student’s writing and improves confidence and self-esteem.
Celebration of Authors is sponsored in part by
Wintrust Bank
Forward Space
PlayMakers Laboratory is sponsored in part by
The Chicago Community Trust,
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events,
The Crown Family Philanthropies,
The Field Foundation,
The Illinois Arts Council
The Mardi Gras Fund,
The Paul M. Angell Foundation,
The Polk Bros Foundation,
The Siragusa Family Foundation,
And generous Individuals like you!
The National Museum of Mexican Art has a ramp and is accessible to wheelchairs, both manual and electric. PML staff are not able to assist patrons transferring to or from a wheelchair, theatre seat or vehicle. Service animals are permitted. At this time there is not a planned usage of audio descriptions, Open Captioning, or for ASL interpreters to be in attendance. For any additional accessibility information or requests, please email admin@playmakerslab.org.
By Oscar V., Seward Spring
True Stories
That's Weird, Grandma
I remember when I got my first shark. It was in February my parents where whit me they said pick a good one then I went home and I put the shark in the fish tank. I feed him and I went to sleep. The next day the shark had died my sister told me. I went to change him the man said if I wanted that shark I said yes. The man got it and put it in a bag of water. My sister said she like it. The next day he had not died yet. My sister and my mom where happy that he hadn’t die yet. And my sister said he wasn’t like the other shark. My shark was nice and he lived for a long time. And then on January 19 he died. He had lived for more than 3 months. I was sad that he died because I was with him for a long time. But on next week I’m going to get another shark. So I’m going to like him and I’m going to feed him and also gonna make him grow. I think he’s gonna live longer then the other shark.
By Luis M., 4th Grade, William H. Seward Academy
Arguments
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
COA 2007
I believe that everything needs to be chocolate
My first reason is that you need to have chocolate because you could eat your house.
My second reason is that you could eat everything instead of buying it.
My final reason is that you could eat you homework and your teacher wouldn’t know what color is your paper.
That is why you need to have chocolate.
By Naheige L., 4th Grade, Grover Cleveland Elementary
Arguments
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
COA 2007
I am Taylor the Rose
I believe that people
Shouldn’t pick me.
My first reason is that I die soon after I’m picked
My second reason is you’re all mean!
My third reason is I need to have my seedlings
In Conclusion, You all should leave me alone!
By Marquan M., 4th Grade, Dewey Spring
Arguments
Holidays
Valentine's Day
That's Weird, Grandma
I am a vampire this Valentine’s Day. OH How I love blood. Let me count the ways. One, Blood makes me stronger. Two, I don’t like people. Three, when I get blood I kill people. Oh How I love blood I Love blood all my life.
By Najeeva F., 4th Grade, Dewey Elementary
Arguments
Podcasts
That's Weird, Grandma
Other Venues
Wilmette 2008
I am a teddy Bear. I believe that you shouldn’t give a child a teddy bear. My first reason is because they squeeze too hard. My second reason is they take out your eyes my third reason is they take out your cotton in conclusion that’s why I believe a child shouldn’t have a teddy bear.
I am a child and I believe a child should have a teddy bear my first reason because is because they help you sleep. my second reason is they make you happy my third reason is you put there eyeballs in your mouth. In conclusion that’s why I believe a child should have a teddy bear.
Listen to the podcast episode adapted from this story!
By Sergio A., 4th Grade, Cleveland School
That's Weird, Grandma
One day I was sent to court just because I “rob 10 jewlery stores.” I said I only stole 60 gems in each one. I got up my seat and grabbed my cup of water and throw it at the judges. I ran out of the court room as fast as I could. They ran so slow. I got in a police car and drive off they never got me.
By Abel F., 4th Grade, Columbia Explorers Academy
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
COA 2007
George Washington is in the space shuttle. To see things in the moon. George Washington get down from his space shuttle almost crashed with a boat.
By Vivasan C., Loyola Park After School Program
Dialogues
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
Other Venues
Wilmette 2008
Characters: 2 best friends, supergirl, a wicked witch, a jelly bean, a talking backpack, an evil queen, students, carebears, a lawyer, a president, a cat, a dog, a boy, Pelumi and me, Margaret, Ife, a talking lollypop, a talking car, a broken car
Setting: in a gym
Lollipop: I’m happy!
Everybody: Okay
By Roxette D., 4th Grade, Cleveland School
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
A little girl named Lilly was in her living room watching her favorite show called Handy Mandy. And she lived in a house in Paris. She is only 5 years old. Then she became bored and said to her mom “Mom I going to try to make bunnies come out of the toilet!” And then mom said “Okay honey have fun.” She said yes because she knew it couldn’t happen. So the little girl went to her toy bin and took out her wand. Then went to the bathroom and said “Bunnies come out of the toilet.” Then one just popped out. Then she kept on doing it and called her mom and said “Mom I got 14 bunnies to come out.” So the mom saw and said “oh my lord, Lilly, how did you do that?” Then Lilly said “All I said was ‘Bunnies Come out of the Toilet!”’ Lilly said “Can I keep them?”
By Ezekial B., 3rd Grade, New Sullivan School
True Stories
That's Weird, Grandma
I got up one morning. I ate a nice bowl of cereal. I watched some TV. We had some pizza for lunch and dinner. But a few minutes later I got hungry. So I went to the kitchen and put the French fries in the oven. I tried to put 50 seconds but I put five minutes. By the time they were done it burned through the plate. I put it in the trash before anyone noticed and I never got caught. The End.
