Tickets are On Sale for CELEBRATION OF AUTHORS 2026 on June 27!

A banner that reads, Celebration of Authors. Saturday 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
wintrust1
Forward Space
forwardspace

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.

THE DAY IT WAS HALLOWEEN

By Nakiya B., Super 7 Program at Cather Elementary
Holidays Halloween That's Weird, Grandma

It was Halloween

The day people were scary people

One day a kid went to a haunted house

And he knocked on the door

and the door went click click

and then the door opened

and a monster came out

And it was big and I had long legs

I run as fast as I can

And when i got home I went upstairs

And sat on my bed

But the monster was there

So I ran to my mom

And she

was not there

 

So I run outside and see a ghost

With a big pumpkin head

And I lock all the doors and windows

But the monster, he is there

So I run back to the kitchen

And I saw the ghost again

And I got some food and went back upstairs

And locked-my-room door and then…


I ate a candy bar

And drank some pop

And the next day

I unlock my door

Went to mom’s room

And she there

So Halloween

had past!

 

I went to the bathroom

and brushed my teeth

and washed my face

and cut off the sink

water

and it went *shink*

And I went out

of the bathroom

 

I went to the kitchen

And got some cereal

and then I ate it

and then I washed my bowl

and I went upstairs

but my mom wasn’t there.

And I was so scared

I was shaking like…like


THE END.

Pig Named Jill

By Fontayza B., Super 7 Program at Cather Elementary School
That's Weird, Grandma

Once upon a time there was a little pig named Jill was a kind little pig who had to watch over his family members. He had 5,000 family members they wanted to eat all of his crab legs. They started to eat his crablegs. They started to eat his crablegs and he got mad. Jill pulls a rope and traped all of his family members and me made them as angels of spider webs and when he were done trapping he started eating the crab legs and said, “ha ha ha ha ha!!” When his family members so that Jill was getting hanged and they sad they songed a song. THE END.

Mermaid/Ariel

By Jacari R., Super 7 Program at Cather Elementary School
That's Weird, Grandma

Who are you? Memaid/Ariel

Where are you from? Ocean/Clean ocean

What have you come to talk about?

I hate when I have to go to school to get my daughter. I believe her father should pick her up.

My first reason is that if I leave work I will get fired.

My second reason is that if I leave work I will get fired.

My second reason is I get tired at work and sometimes I fall asleep before the bus comes.

Third if I didn’t have to pick up my daughter I could go to the mermaid club and visit mu mom in my freetime.

In Conclusion: I believe her father should pick her up.

THE END.

ZYRA

By Fakiah A., Cather School
That's Weird, Grandma

I am a doll named Zyra and I wear tutus!  I believe that I should be bought. My first reason is I don’t like to stay in the store overnight. My second reason is I AM ADORABLE. I can be your best friend. THE END.

The Man Who Save the Girl’s Cat

By Kevin L., Avondale-Logandale School
That's Weird, Grandma

One day there was a little girl named Zoe. She was playing with her cat emily. They were playing catch but when she threw the ball to high it got stuck in a tree.  and the cat went to get it but the cat got stuck in the tree and the girl was saying and screaming “help my cat emily is stuck in the tree and then a man called the rock, the strongest wrestler was eating breakfast and he heard the little girl screaming and he said i’m going to save that little girl’s cat and he went out with his pajamas on and a little milk on his lip and he said to Zoe “what happened?” and Zoe told the Rock, “My cat is on the tree!” and the Rock got it down and gave it to Zoe. THE END.

THE MAN EATING DESSERT AT APPLEBEE’S

By Shamiyah P., Learn Campbell Campus
That's Weird, Grandma

Once there was a man eating dessert, drinking coffee and listening to music and someone was trying to take a picture of the man and the man did not want his picture taken and the man was trying to eat but hey took a picture of him. His name is Bob Roy and Bob was just trying to eat. He just came from work and he wanted to eat. They should ask can I take a picture of you. Bob might have said yes or he might have said no. Bob might have been a celebrity. THE END.

THE KEY

By Lucero G., Avondale-Logandale School
That's Weird, Grandma

One day Lisa was in her kingdom milkshake. She loved going to the dungeon.  so one day she found a key.  So two days later she finds a door she tries the key and it works!! So when she opens it she finds her father dead and a note it says death to us part.  So she shows this to her mother and the mothe says this is a wedding vowe.  And she the mother says we never took wedding vowes! The daughter is surprised. When she look’s through her dad’s old stuff she finds a picture of him with a girl in a wedding dress and him. so when she shows this to her mother.  But the mother is washing a knife with human blood! To be continued. THE END.

THE MOUNTAIN TOP

By Xitlaly G., Loyola Park After-School Program
That's Weird, Grandma Celebration of Authors

Once there was a girl who cried blodd. And her name was ocean. She had
a special key that let her enter all the mountain tops. But her
boyfriend Blue broke up with her and she went to the mountain tops and
she started to cry but she cried blood. She tried to hold it in
because she thought she would fall out of the mountain tips she down
stairs and she went somewhere with her friends so they could calm her
down but then her friend said “Blue just texted me this message” but
her friends didn’t know she cried blood. She cried blood, everybody
saw her and started running out of the restaurant. She was so sad she
ran back to her mountain top. Then she saw Blue, and she cried more
blood and she couldn’t see him and then Blue pushed her down the
mountain top then Blue started crying blood. But little did he know
that her spirit was still there. Now she waits to see Blue in her
mountain top so she could push him. THE END.

THE TURKEY THAT ESCAPED THE PLATES

By Reece, Isabella, Sydney, Mack, Johnny, Hough Street Elementary
That's Weird, Grandma Celebration of Authors

Once there was a turkey named Yawny who lived in a barn.  He slept all of the time.  It was the day before thanksgiving and farmer Bob was rounding up all of the turkey.  He saw yawny sleeping and decided to pick him up.  Yawny woke up suddenly and was startled by Farmer Bob.  He flapped his wings and jumped out of farmer Bob’s hands.  Farmer Bob chased him til nightfall.  And when it was dark, Farmer Bob tripped on a rock and Yawny got away.  THE END.

CHIP THE CHICKEN

By Cadence M., Kinzie Elementary
That's Weird, Grandma Celebration of Authors

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.