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 Elijah, 4th Grade, Peirce School of International Studies
Once upon a time there was a little girl. She was filled with anger and hatrid. So one day a wich killed her but her sole was traped in a doll. 100 years later a little girl found the doll and she loved it, but one day she was found dead next to the doll and she had just enough lif left to say“all you girls out there in room 209, your next.” All of a sudden she became the doll that took her life and the doll, the one that was 100 years old, became her. And from then on, replaced the little girl who became the doll. The End.
By Aiden A, Loyola Park After School Program
One time a farmer was planting some pumpkins and in 5 days they became pumpkins and he had so many he didn’t know what to do he didn’t want to sell them then he had an idea. He took an ax and chopped down a tree then made it into wood then got some string and made some of it into two wheels. He made it into a catapult then puts on his gun glasses then puts all the pumpkins he does not want in the catapult and fires. The End.
By Armond B., Dewey School of Excellence
There was a super hero named fart man His secret Identy was Joey BoBo He lived in Ny.b. (New York butt). There was a evil deficiant villan named the toilet he would fart and absorb them to get powers like water spraying. Then they meet in central park fart the fought and the Fart man destroyed him with a fire fart and the toilet was melted and the was only water to go in his grave. And it was soaked. Then Joey Bo Bo went to get tacos and candy jams from mom. And went home to practice tooting on his butt. The End. Toot.
By Yaritza J., Columbia Explorers Academy
Once upon a time a mom left the baby in the street because she forgot that she was going to pick up her daughter from school and the baby wanted to cry because her mom left him with all his stuff and the mom thought that she had the baby in the car but she found out that she didn’t have the baby and the mom couldn’t find the baby until she remembers where she left the baby and the mom felt happy that she found the baby and the mom and baby felt happy. The End
By Lamonica R., Morton School of Excellence
Characters: Underpants the Frog and Princess Cece
UF: Princess Cece, I want you to kiss me, so I can turn into a Prince. I know you a princess and princess don’t kiss animals but I really need This because a evil wizard turn me into a Frog I know Im icky but I will dress up in a tuxedo so you don’t be all icky about me
PC: I will think about it but Im still a princess and I don’t really know if you are going to turn into a prince I like the tuxedo But I want you to take a swim in The pond and then I will kiss you. The End.
By Darryl M., Dewey School of Excellence
Once upon a time there was those two little girls they freak everyone out But it was just a miss-understanding Then they lived in this hotel they were going door to door freaking everyone out everyone moved out of there apart-ments until a Little Boy moved in he was scared of them they came knocking on there door the Little Boy answered he said “Hi you are twins right? They didn’t reply they stared at him in stead he said “you twins probably freak everyone out” together they say “we do freak everyone out then went to the news station then they worked things out.
By Isaly M, The Academy for Global Citizenship
Habia una ves que estaba en mi casa y mi tio mi mama y mi Papa fueron a un lado. Yo no sadia donde fueron. Vegaron un Poco tarde y luego mi tio tenia un Perrito en sus manos. Yo le dije por que tienes un Perro. Mi mama dijo es de ustedes yo me emosione mucho. Yo to tra taba de cargar no Podia. El estaba bien calmado yo no esta calmado. Yo estaba jugando con el mucho. Yo te dije a mi mama si Puede dormir con migo ella dijo que si. Yo lo enrolle en mi cobija de tinker bell. Logo el se dormio en mi cama con migo. Lugo se fuey yo me dormir. EL FIN!!!!
By Noah G, Loyola Park After School Program
Once upon a time in a village there was a boy that liked a girl but the girl liked him but it was embarrassing if she showed it. But one day he asked her out she said yes and she told him that it was embarrassing they worked it out. The end.
By Alanna and Jonathan, 4th Grade, Dixon Elementary
Characters: Chance and Batman
Setting: Gotham
Chance: Let’s rap.
Batman: No, I want to fight some crime.
(After the argument)
Chance: Ok, we’ll go fight some crime. Then we’ll rap (Sadly)
Batman: thank you, now let’s go fight some crime. (Get’s in Batmobile)
(On their way, the rapper starts rapping)
Batman: Stop it! (Angrily)
Chance: But that’s what I do.
(They finalyy arrive. Batman fights the Joker while the rapper raps in the back.)
(Batman defeats Joker.)
Chance: What I miss?
Batman: Really dude, really.
By Mia J, Kinzie Elementary
This is Merissa, a female figure and this is Dave, a male figure and also Coalen and Freddy. They all have jobs hosting Adult Musical and they were best friends. This is Adult Musical. Hi Dave Hi Freddy What’s going on. Nothing much I’m just lifting weights for Freddy. He is weak. Hey. Well it’s true. “Hi Dave there is good news and there is bad news,” cried Merissa. The good news is my voice changed. That’s great shouted Dave. But listen me me me meeeee it keeps doing that. Well try singing like this you you youuu!! Ok you you youwwww! Well just hu you will never sing again. I’m just kidding but really you will never sing again!! The End.
