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 Malik F., Reavis Academy
That's Weird, Grandma
Ninja Turtle / Talking Apple Setting: House-Princess House
TA: Thank you for your help getting us out of the mountain!
NT: I used our sword to get us out of the mountain.
TA: Let’s go home! And eat some carrots, because they are good for your eyes. Also sausages.
NT: Yes! I like carrots and sausages as well.
(they eat)
TA: Mmmmm! That was good!
(they go to bed, because it’s nighttime)
NT & TA: Let’s watch TV!
(They watch Ninja Turtle cartoons and That’s So Raven)
TA: let’s cut the lights off and go to sleep.
(They wake up and go to play in the snow)
NT: This is fun!
TA: This is cold!
NT: Let’s go inside to warm up by the chimney.
TA: That’s a good idea, but I still want to play outside with my toys.
THE END.
By Michael W., Dewey School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
my mom had a cat he was a Boy he had a wonderful time at six flags.
THE END.
By Abrar K., Lorca Elementary School
That's Weird, Grandma
Setting: Asia Year: 1,635, 956 Characters: year, setting
Year wanted to be first at sicruturs but actually setting wanted be first buy then they went asia then they say “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” but they had a time machine they 1,635,956 they were yo what’s up blah blah blah blah blah finally they got old they agreed in everything. THE END.
By Cameran M., Dvorak School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
One day Jake woke up and his back was hurting so bad it felt like a cannon hit him. So when he got up to go eat breakfast he slipped on his brother’s skateboard. He fell so hard it felt he fell on a nail. Then he went to the bathroom to put his clothes on when he looked in the mirror he had lots of bumps on his face. Then he went to school. The children made fun of him and he got bullied. He was madder than a grizzly bear. So he went home and went to bed in hopes the next day would be better. THE END.
By Sade T., Graham Elementary School
That's Weird, Grandma
Once there was a girl names Carly. She always wanted to where make up.
But her mother said “NO YOU BE QUIET! So one day Carly got revenge. ..
She hired a hobo to sleep in her mom’s bath tub. The next day she saw
the hobo in the bath tub. He said “Hey honey can I borrow some
underwear. She screamed reapeaditly. Ahhh Ahhh Ahhh Ahh. STOP
screaming do you wanna get me arrested. She yelled YES and then CARLY
JONES get in here this instant. Carly stomped upstairs and said
“uh-oh!, at least I got my revenge.
To be continued…
THE END.
By Danny T., Bride School
That's Weird, Grandma
1. They come from the cats hair balls
2. They come from chocolate and vanilla
3. The people come from money
4. People come from flowers
THE END.
By Brisa P., Columbia Explorers Academy
Dialogues
That's Weird, Grandma
Characters: Hound, Flora, Bumblebee
Setting: Pond
HOUND: I am so bored!!!!
FLORA: Welcome to my world Buddy.
BUMBLEBEE: Let’s go play hide and seek.
FLORA: U don’t know. Ask Hound.
BUMBLEBEE: Want to play Hound?
HOUND: Sure!!!
BUMBLEBEE: I’ll count to ten and you better hide.
BUMBLEBEE: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!
BUMBLEBEE: Where did everybody go?
FLORA: I bet he’ll never find us.
HOUND: I hope not!
BUMBLEBEE: Found you!!
FLORA and HOWARD: How did you find us!!
BUMBLEBEE: You were making too much noise.
FLORA: Who wants to play again?
THE END.
By Chloe W., Loyola Park After-School Program
Holidays
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time there was a town not so big named Fun Town. The population was only about 10,000 people. But everyone there loved to live there anyway. When holidays would be right around the corner, they would gather in the center of their town on the day before the holiday and spend the whole day together. There was a little girl about 6 years old who LOVED ICE CREAM CANDY SUGAR RUSH DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She would always be so happy (more happy than she already is) on that holiday. She would be nonstop having the time of her life. Her name was Vanelope. She wasn’t exactly popular, but she had one best friend named Patrisha. They were always happy together. On their favorite holiday, they would celebrate all day and night. They would be so happy together. They would have a blast when they were together but especially on their favorite holiday, which is ICE CREAM CANDY SUGAR RUSH DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE END.
By Cesar S., Avondale-Logandale School
Arguments
That's Weird, Grandma
I believe that Mexican people could cross the border into the U.S. 1) We are human and because we deserve a better life. 2) Bad things happen in Mexico, like there’s a lot of killing every day. 3) And parents want to cross the border to give their children better life because a lot of kids get sick and die. Conclusion-let Mexican People Cross the border. THE END.
By Ina J., Graham Elementary School
Holidays
Winter Holidays
That's Weird, Grandma
Once there was a baby name Alice she was a spoiled girl she got everything she wanted but she has a flaw ‘christmas” why was it her flaw? Santa Claus never brings her presents one day she got a present it’s it’s a “baby”!!!!!!! Alice faned how wath was was she going to do then she got a note from Santa dear Alice this is you when you were a baby you cried, and wanted gold everything gold. Then Alice… THE END.
