PlayMakers Laboratory Story Archive
Tickets are On Sale for CELEBRATION OF AUTHORS 2026 on June 27!
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.
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 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.
Wintrust Bank
Forward Space
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 Josiah, 3rd Grade, Dixon Elementary
Today at school we had Playmakers. My favorite playmaker is Elijah. Elijah is very cool. Elijah is so cool he could tie his own shoe. Elijah’s so cool his eyes are blue. Elijah is so cool his watch is nice. Elijah is so cool he keeps his beard smooth. Playmakers are very nice they draw so fast in no time. Playmakers are funny and very active and fun. The End.
By Landon, Jaylah, Mario, Tenley, Zoey, Donnie, South Shore Park, Summer of Stories Program
Once there was a teenager named Tiana. She lived in Downtown Chicago. Her parents had some money, but they were kind of cheapskates. They were major couponers. Tianna’s brother: Jeff Jeffrey Jefferson also bullied her every day. Tiana had a school trip coming up to Paris that cost $5,000, but her parents only gave her a single dollar and told her to clean her room. She got a job that paid her $1,000 a month - taming a lion at the circus. BUT one day, her parents found out and made her quit the job. They gave all the money Tiana made to Jeff. But while Jeff was sleeping, she stole the money out of his room. Tiana sued for emancipation and won and got to go on the trip to Paris. The End
By Finn and Aaron, 4th Grade, Peirce International School
Setting: Home
IRS dude: This is the IRS, pay your taxes.
Rando dude: No
IRS: I have ur dog
Rando dude: Your lying
Dog: (Bark!)
Rando dude: How much do I owe you
IRS: Your life savings
Dude: No.
IRS: I. HAVE. YOUR. DOG.
Dude: Here (pays on computer $)
IRS: Were keeping your dog
Dude: NOOOOOOO! (Kneels down in pain)
IRS: haha.
To be continued…
By Mark, 4th Grade, Columbia Explorers Academy
Yo intento combenser a mi papá que me compre un xbox x/s por esta razon… Por que tambien te gusta por eso quiero que lo compres
1st Por que es el xbox mas abansado.
2nd Porque no se necesitan discos para jugar nadamas te metes a los juegos.
3rd Por que nunca falla le internet y los juegos se pueden jugar sin internet. Fin.
By Arshveer, Andrew, Lizzie, Leela, Harper, Thalia, 1st Grade, Bell Elementary
Once there was a dolphin that was an acrodancer named Dude-Pop. Dude-pop’s BFF was a dog named Bob. They were spending the day at the underwater stage having an art day: Dancing like crazy, playing and drawing. Suddenly 2 great white sharks tired to eat them but a swarm of jellyfish lured the sharks to a cove where the sharks could not fit. Dude-Pop and Bob thanked the Jellyfish with a dance party and became their new friend Girl-Pop and Gina. The End?
By Diamond, 5th Grade, Columbia Explorers Academy
Long ago there was a famous singer but they didn’t want to be a singer.The only reason they were one was because they wanted to make their parents proud. So they kept quiet. Their name was Boda Frost. They really liked to go to the beach with friends.They lived in Chicago. They actually really love planes and the sunset. Their dream was to fly a plane and fly into a sunset with their partner. But they were in a secret relationship and they did a lot with each other. Then a few years later they came out to their parents and Boda and their partner got married.The End.
By Noah R, 3rd Grade, Skinner West Elementary
There once was a guy named happy. He was always happy. But one day he was…SAD! Everyone was sad too because he was the sorse of happiness! Then one guy in a limozeene came out and took Happy to a taco stand and he got happy again!
The end
Watch out for part 2! Happy and the ultimate sad-storm…
By Mariel, Ari, Ava, Vanessa, Charlotte, Genevieve, Aiden, Rowen, 1st Grade, Bell Elementary
Jerry was a tooth bunny who collected teeth because he wanted to be a tooth fairy. A tooth bunny! He went to a cottage where a kid had lost his teeth. It was 3am in the night. It was very dark, with the moon out. When he went in the cottage, he couldn’t find the teeth that the kid lost. He was sad. He quietly walked out of the cottage and said “ I guess I’m not a toothbunny anymore.” He tried to get teeth from another kid, but he failed again and again and again and again. But! He saw one more cottage. He went inside and saw 3 teeth on the ground. He was excited. He said “who lost these!? I can take the teeth and leave some coins!” He left the coins and he said “I am a tooth bunny!” And he lived happily ever after. The End. Until the next tooth is lost Dun Dun Dunnnnn. The End.
By Anonymous, 4th Grade, Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy
One day when I was three or four i was going somewhere. But i needed to go to the bathroom. But we were already leaving so i had a choice. Either to go to the bathroom and they wait or poop on the floor. I picked to poop on the floor but that i was taking so long my mom went to grave be. And then she saw the poop. And she had to clean and she was mad
By Isael, 2nd Grade, Graves Elementary
De Duck whas so sili sosososososo sili. Then he never stop Bin sili an her mom sed stop and Duli stop den duli fil to never stop den wen duli went to wis room and he stars bin sili. The End