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 King-Caleb W., Learn Campbell Academy
That's Weird, Grandma
One night a man went to the museum and saw a dinosaur skeleton. His name was Justin Timberlake. He had an apartment. That’s when the dinosaur came to life and tried to take over the world but Justin Timberlake killed the dinosaur with a bee-bee gun and a sword. THE END.
By Marilyn R. & Andrea V., Graham Elementary School
That's Weird, Grandma
Setting: Street
Justin Beiber- famous teenager
Amber- a fan
J: (walking) Hi I am Justin Beiber
A: (shocked) Ahhhh it’s Justin Beiber
J: (Rund) uh-oh better run
A: (screaming) wait up could I get your autograph.
J: (calm) ok sure who do I sign it to
A: (catching her breath) um to my friend Thanks
THE END.
By Shaunda P., Dewey School of Excellence
Holidays
Halloween
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time me and my cousin was coming to school and we meat a lady named Mrs. McPherson asked me were I live. I said just around the corner and said be save. When I got home I saw a light shining from my closet and before I could touch it, it opened so she said hello she said what to days date I said October 31, 2013. And she said good I’m on time And I said for what to save you and then the Boogy man and killed her And then she came back and she could not die. And we were going to die together so monsters tried to take over Halloween so she saved Halloween and we keeped trick or treating. THE END.
By Jordan P., New Sullivan Elementary
That's Weird, Grandma
A Wizard visiting a dentist to day I was in the dentist room and I [saw] something black it was a W…I…Z…A…R…D run for ur life run now it a W…I…Z…A…R…D 72 people are die is a W…I…Z…A…R…D.
My Song:
I I hated wizard wizard wizard come for u for some u u go die it it wizard wizard it wizard 1 2 wizard come for you 3 4 better lock ur door 5 6 wizard come run now go go a wizard bye. Peace.
THE END.
By Devian R., Dewey Elementary
That's Weird, Grandma
The day I drive a car is when my dad let me drive is I drive to McDonalds up the street so he told me to step on the gas so I step on the day I step on it to hard then he told me to step on the brakes so I did it so we was at McDonalds he got two big mac for us. I was so scared because it is a car. THE END.
By T.J. M., Morton School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
His name was Austin. He was in a football game. He won all of his games but not this Fourth and one. But then his frined said every idea is a good idea. Then pick the first idea that came to him went with that and the idea to pass the ball then won the game. THE END.
By Brenda S., Lorca Elementary School
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time there was an act at school and there was a boy that wanted to be a donut at the act so he was so excited that he always smiled all time so he was so happy at school so he did all his work but then he got embarrassed so he was sweating a lot because he played a donut with sprinkles on and they were taking a lot of pictures and people with cameras so then he got mor nervis because he was performing at the end of the day so then he was worried that he will forgot his lines, maybe he will not smile or everybody will not cheer for him and throw stuff at him so everybody was telling him that everybody will look funny and some will forget their lines but they will not throw stuff at them because they are really good at acting so they were happier. Finally they got on stage at school so he started to think of the stuffs that everybody told him so he got happier and figured out that everything was the opposite and they were all happy so then he liked his donut with sprinkles on and he smiled all the time and it was so fun. THE END.
By Gary M., Morton School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
One cold winter morning Jashae came out. She was running in the snow. She was cold but she was still running. She made it home on time enough to a hot cup of cocoa. She watched some TV and fell asleep. THE END.
By Benito Z., Columbia Explorers Academy
That's Weird, Grandma
Once there was a dumb chicen that eat weird and discusting stuff. Then the chicen played in the tolit and drowed in the tolit. THE END.
By Madison B., Poe Classical School
That's Weird, Grandma
One day in Bacontopia there lived a piece of Bacon. He was made out of shrimp and his name was Bacon. Bacon had problems with school. He was living in an apartment without his parents but he was only in kindergarten. Bacon got an F- on his math quiz. He showed his parents when they arrived at his apartment to check on him. They grounded him for life. But he threw a party and when his parents found out he got in trouble. Bacon couldn’t go anywhere for a week and he lived sadly ever after. THE END.