PlayMakers Laboratory Story Archive
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 2024/25 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!
Adult Regular Priced Tickets —$75
Youth Regular Price Tickets, ages 4 to 15 —$50
Children 3 years of age and under can attend for FREE
Plus we will present the Annual Storyteller of the Year Award to author,
and PlayMaker alumni, Mary Winn Heider!
Mary Winn Heider is the author of over 30 books for kids, including THE LOSERS AT THE CENTER OF THE GALAXY, THE UNICORNS WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS, and THE STUPENDOUS SWITCHEROO series, which she co-created with Chad Sell. Mary Winn’s very first novel, THE MORTIFICATION OF FOVEA MUNSON, was based on her time working in a real life cadaver lab, and now that it’s a musical. In a School Library Journal column a few years ago, Betsy Bird wrote, “In an era of information overload, Mary Winn Heider is the author who will lead us through the pandemonium into the light.” Mary Winn’s books have been on state lists, appeared on Bank Street Best Books, received Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection status, been long-listed for the Edgar Award, and landed on Indies Introduce and Indie Next lists.But before all of that, Mary Winn was a company member with Playmakers Lab, where she spent a decade pretending to be a chicken, an astronaut, and a princess, and sometimes, all three at once.
Can’t attend our party? We’ll miss you! Consider donating to support arts education in Chicago. Thank you!
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 28 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 utilize 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.
The Chicago Community Trust,
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events,
The Crown Family Philanthropies,
The Field Foundation,
The Mardi Gras Fund,
The Paul M. Angell Foundation,
The Polk Bros Foundation,
The Siragusa Family Foundation,
And generous Individuals like you!
By Robert J., 3rd Grade, Gale School
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time there was a man with a shell on his back. It crawled right on him and said nothing. Every day they went to read at the Aquarium. One day they were reading, they fell into a book. Because of that they were trapped until someone else read the book. The End.
By Evelyn A., 4th Grade, Richard Henry Lee School
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
COA 2007
One day a dad and her daughter were at the beach because it was a very hot day. Then the girl was walking on the sand and something poked her foot. When she looked down it was a sword. Then she showed it to her dad her dad was amazed that she had found a sword. Then he told his daughter that he could put the sword in his mouth all the way in. His daughter was so amazed. Then they went home to see the girls mom and showed the sword to her she liked it too. The family kept the sword in a special place. Where no one could get it.
By Chris G. , 4th Grade, Hough Street School
True Stories
That's Weird, Grandma
When I first started chess I couldn’t even beat my Mother. Then I started chess club. Every year I got better. Soon I didn’t need to think all that hard and I rarely lost. I’m still taking chess club. Recently I have won a first place trophy. Now I am pretty good at chess. I can play billets chess (chess with 5 minutes on the clock) with no problem. In a book I read it said that Bobby Fisher was mostly famous because he competed with the Russians and won. My favorite two openings are the Stone Wall and an opening of my own making (pawn e-3 bishop c4 then knight f3). Now I am really interested in chess. I have lots of chess variations and travel chess boards that I take on vacations. I play chess a lot. Now I am awesome at chess.
By Andy O. , 3rd Grade, Haines
Arguments
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
I believe tigers are here. My first reason is the tigers can scare the bullies away. My 2nd reason is it can bite them when the bullies tease me. My 3rd reason is tigers can bust the bullies door. In conclusion, having tigers is a good thing. And that is why I believe tigers are here.
By Beth C. , Rutherford Sayre Words@Play Program
Poems
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
Peace lives in my eyes
They allow me to see what
good and beautiful things
there are in the world
I see the leaves on the trees
I see the smiles on people’s faces
I see my friends laughing
My eyes allow me to see
the bad things in the world
I see people living on the streets
I see people fighting
I see people crying
Peace lives in my hands
My pencil hits the paper
I let out all my anger
I write how I feel
My hands allow me to feel
I can touch
I can create.
By Katia G, Giovanny M, Jose C, Luis S, Christian, Mario L, Mayra B. , 4th Grade, Seward
That's Weird, Grandma
A dragon lived in an office. The dragon drinks coffee and eats donuts and the dragon always has the office all messy. This dragon hates meat. Throughout the day, the dragon works on a computer and reports stuff about money and jobs. The dragon works with a chicken, an alien, a little ant, and a bunny. The dragon’s name is Mr. Money. Mr. Money is married with Mrs. Spaghetti. Each time he sneezes, he burns paper from work and burns all the stuff in the office. The other workers don’t want Mr. Money to work because the workers are mad and always calling 911 for the fire department to come. One day, unfortunely, Mr. money sneezed on his wife Mrs. Spaghetti and he cooked her and ate her. He was sad and lonely. The end.
By Deanna J., 4th Grade, Reavis
Dialogues
That's Weird, Grandma
Characters a four eye beast and a king name king mac.
Setting in the four eye beast house.
King Mac: thank you for coming the you nice house (bowing at the four eye beast.)
Four eye beast: you’re welcome. what do you want for dinner?
King Mac: I don’t know.
Four eye beast: I don’t mind eating you.
King Mac: you can’t eat me.
Four eye beast: yum! (eating King Mac)
King Mac: you eat me. (crying)
By James C., 4th Grade, Columbia Explorers Academy
That's Weird, Grandma
Once there was a hamburger that was the size of a man. She saw a star, and said “I wish I was a real girl. I don’t want to be a girl hamburger, but a real girl.” But what she didn’t know that the star was an opposite star and she came out a man.
By Jamal S., Jordan Community School
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
Other Venues
Storefront 2002
Wilmette 2007
[Sadly, portions of this story have been lost. Brackets indicate where we have reconstructed the story from memory.]
There is a man that killed a pig. And slicing the pig and taking the meat and his guts out. He is going to serve it to the people. [He puts it] with fish and bread and beans [and the people will eat it].
Part Two
The pig has returned to earth. And he is getting his guts and his meat back. And he kill the man that kill him and kill the people that eat his guts. And he takes his guts and his meat back.
By Martin C., 5th Grade, Cleveland School
Arguments
That's Weird, Grandma
I think there should be escalators in schools.
1. First thing when you walk up the stair you hurt your back.
2. Second, you might slip off the stairs when they are wet.
3. Next, you can step on some ones shoelace and they could trip.
4. Last some one might push you when you are walking down the stairs and you can break a body part.
Con:
1. If you mop the escalator you can get electrified.
2. You might get stuck in a stair and loose your clothes.
3. You can fall and get hurt on the metal.