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 Vanessa R, Avondale Logandale,
Once there was a man his name was Mr. Perfect. He thought that every thing he bought was perfect but one day he went to buy candy. He took it without looking. He bought it and decided to eat it at home. He open his mouth and didn’t care what kind of candy it was and HE SWALLOWED IT! That night he heard like if Shakira was singing in his stomach until he went to the doctor and found out it was a small small tv in his stomach and take it out and he didn’t think that every thing he bought was perfect. The End.
By Malcolm E, 4th Grade, Dixon Elementary
I AM A DRUM! AND I DO NOT WANT THE DRUM SECTION TO BANG ON ME! IT FEELS LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE! ITS PAINFUL! DON’T PLAY
WITH ME AT ALL. LEAVE ME ALONE! JUST LET ME WATCH TV! & PLAY VIDEO GAMES! I WANT TO LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT BEING BANGED!
By James Lyles, Morton School of Excellence
One night when I was seven years old I had a nightmare this bunny is was super fast (fewn fewn) It was fast and evil (Ha Ha Ha) Suddenly I look out the window I see a horse carriage (gallup gallup) I was scared as snake getting eaten. I woke up sweaty and stinky I smelled like a skunk. It was dark they were like golden ghost (oooohh) There was an old man ghost crying help me like he was dying. I was extremely scared like I’m gonna get hit by a monster truck boom. Suddenly my muscles were stiff like I was shot down. I put on the lite and suddenly disappear.
By Imani, Morton School of Excellence
There is a deer speaking to the audio and the deer is in a school the security gard have a problem that they got to get the out of there auditorium and the door was unlock and the deer got in the school so the secity got the deer out of the school. The end!!!
By Morgan B, 4th Grade, Peirce School of International Studies
Once a cat named Pickles , and he had a talent for being a DJ for cats. Tomorrow, he had a gig for the most famous cat ever… Grumpy Cat! They said they would give him 1,000 dead mice. He said “Meow” which is yes. The next day… Pickles got his equipment and went in his litter boxcar. Once he played music… his equipment broke! And it was he favorite and only one he had.So he went to Cat’s Music Shop and got a better and a little bigger equipment and decorsated his own way. When he came back the gig was better and they gave him 1,000 dead mice and was the richest DJ ever! THE END!!!
By Dana B., Prieto Math and Science Academy
It was the best day
I remember swimming with Josue
It was fun. I like to play with toys in the pool and the
Pool was warm. After swimming we go to
Chuck-e- cheese. We play games and
Eat pizza.
My mommy was take us.
We also went to grandma’s house
It was the best day …… ever.
By Cadence M., Kinzie Elementary School
One day in a science lab there was a new animal created by the scientist Darlene Reyes. The new creature was a chicken and a man. The chicken-man’s name is Chip and Chip loved to act. He even got a role in a movie. The movie was called Charlotte’s Web and he was Charlotte. Chip loved acting so much he decided The End.
By Johnathan, Lorca Elementary School
Once upon a time a dog called Kelly and she was a Chihuahua had three babies and the owner didn’t want to take care of four dogs so he made a dog sale and the mom dog took the dogs and lived happily ever after. The End.
By Leila F., Columbia Explorers Academy
Once upon a time there was a black hole. This black hole came out of nowhere. It sucked people into, well nowhere. Then one day a news reporter came to the hole. She realized there was the house of James Harper. He is an evil scientist who out things where they shouldn’t be.
By Bella D. and Taylor G., Loyola Park After-School Program
Characters: Aqua Gal and Fire Gal
Setting: the Beach
Aqua Gal: Why do I have to see you here?
Fire Gal: Did you follow me here? I don’t like you.
Aqua Gal: I’m not going to tell if I followed you. Why would I?
Fire Gal: How would you like it if I hurt you? It would be fun.
Aqua Gal: Yeah right, how would you like it if I hurt you?
Fire Gal: Really how would you hurt me? And I would still beat you.
Aqua Gal: Just because I’m little doesn’t mean you can tease me.
Fire Gal: So it looks like you can protect yourself.
Aqua Gal: I can’t believe you’re my sister. It’s just not fair.
Fire Gal: Well just get over it. You have to live with me anyway.
Aqua Gal: You think you can control me but you can’t either way it goes.
Fire Gal: If I hurt you don’t go crying to Mom.
Aqua Gal: Well with one scream and one cry you will be out of the house.
