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 Joe C., Loyola Park After School Program
That's Weird, Grandma
Joe the Shark was very hungry. He could eat a whale shark but Fishy Fred like whale shark so Fishy Fred ate it. Joe the Shark was mad. He did not like Fishy Fred but he could not find him, so Joe the Shark looked for him and you can’t believe it he found him in the toilet and the Mississippi River and Joe the Shark slipped an finally caught Fishy Fred and Joe the Shark was full because Fishy Fred was as fat and big as a Whale Shark. The End.
By Darrin J., Chalmers
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time there was a goat that eat everything. I twas one thing he can’t eat. It was a metal pole. So he did but he choke. He spit it out and that is the end.
By Jairo M and Christopher S., LORCA ACADEMY
Dialogues
That's Weird, Grandma
Characters: Monkey 1, Monkey 2
Setting: City, abandon hotel
M1: Lets throw a party
M2: Okay but first I need to buy some stuff.
M1: How much do you need
M2: I need $400
M1: That’s more than I get in my job in a week.
M2: Lets both go to work.
The next day…
M1: I hate going to work because its so hard!!!!
M2: Me too because I am tired.
M1: We just need $100 dollars more. I am going to get a banana.
The next day…
M2: We got $400 dollars!!
M1: We can throw are party.
M1/M2: We both cheered and they threw the party but only one monkey came we just wasted that for nothing.
M1: We forgot to mail the invitation
M2: ow Bananas.
M1: Speaking of bananas I am hungry.
M2: what what what what we’re out of money so we can’t buy bananas
M1: Come on!!
The End?
By Malissa C and Diamond R., Willa Cather Academy
Dialogues
That's Weird, Grandma
Characters: PRince, Princess
PRINCESS: (nervous) I need to pick a dress but don’t know which one to pick.
PRINCE: I will pick for you and we shall be on our way.
PRINCESS: (excited) Oh my God thank you! I was having such a hard time, but I don’t have heels and a crown.
PRINCE: (impatient) We’ll buy a white crown and white heels on our way there. (They get in a black and white limo)
The End.
PRINCESS by Malissa C
I was born in 2005 and I am 22 years old and I was a princess was having a hard time looking a dress then got mad because she couldn’t’ find it but the prince find it for her. They went to New York City and eat at a restaurant. Then the prince take her to find a car so she could go back home and get some sleep. Then her mom wake her up so she can go and eat breakfast and go to work at New York City. The restaurant she went to is Subway and she got on an elevator to take care of her baby sister. The end.
PRINCE AND PRINCESS by Diamond R
I was born in July 19 and I am 23 year old. I am afraid of cats because cats have hair over clothes. I tried to wash cats but they scratch me. It hurts! I’ll never buy cats no more because I had to buy so many bandaids to make the scratches stop hurting. I found the princess and we got married and lived in a Royal house in New York. There was only 1 cat that lived with me in one royal room. It was the kitchen. We cook breakfast and have a nice dinner and live happily ever after. That they has a baby named Zoe. The End
By Emilio A., Columbia Explorer’s Academy
That's Weird, Grandma
1. Yo creo que la tarea es importante porque tenemos que haler cosas en la casa. 2. Yo creo que la tarea es importante porque asi apendemos en la casa y la escuela. 3. Yo creo que la tarea es importante porque no has que damos todo el dia jugando sin hacer nada o perdiento el tiempo.
En conclusión el mundo reira meiror con seria mejor.
English translation:
HOMEWORK IS IMPORTANT 1. I think homework is important because her have to do stuff at at home. 2. I think homework is important because by doing it, we learn at home and in school. 3. I think homework is important because you shouldn’t spend all day playing without doing anything or wasting time.
In conclusion, the world would be better.
By Breanna H., Chalmers School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time there was a princess. She loves to pick up thing like weights or automobiles she was buff and she was very strong princess. The whole kingdom was scared of her . She was very sensitive on the inside. So one day her parents said they are sending her way. She started bursting out crying and she started throwing things. And then she stopped and noticed that her parents were gone. They were afraid of her strong body. She felt very bad and began searching for her parents. Then she searched too far and found an island. Her parents were there. She was so happy. They were so afraid. Then a man walked up and saw her and said you are so buff I think we can get you to do something.. so he did and she was a lifter upper. The island was now called the Kingdom. The princess was so helpful that her parents said no more sending away. So the princess lived a happy and lifting like. The End
By Josiah T., Dewey School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
One day me and my half brother Julian was on our way to school we meet a crocodile and I said: Julian I bet you 5 dollars that you wouldn’t kiss that crocodile so he did and the crocodile had bad breath everyone said: Julian you have bad breath. The End
By Daisy R, Angel G, Itzel O, Abram L, Jonathan T, Yanelly S, Aaron A, Lorca Elementary School
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time there was a spider woman who lived on the beach. She wanted to kidnap the turtles in the underwater sea. So she ate a big breakfast. She had bananas, coffee, and lip gloss. She felt happy. She has special turtle food in her bag to catch the turtles. So the turtles came out to get the food and spider Lady caught them in her net. She ate the turtles with fish and collected the shells. The End.
By Victoria K., Poe Elementary School
That's Weird, Grandma
There once was a cat. The cat was a very bad cat. The cat would knock lamps over and rip the curtains. One day her owner caught her and put her out in the -5 degree weather. The cat came back stiffer than a popsicle. Her owner asked her if she had learne dher lessson. The cat’s lips were frzen shut so she coudn’t meow. Once the cat was thawed out she meowed. The owner gave her her favorite blanket and a hug. She never did anything bad and became the world’s greatest cat and got everything she wanted. Her owner said: “Good behavior deserves a good treat.” THE END.
By Angelo E., Loyola Park After School Program
That's Weird, Grandma
There were cars with zombies in them. But they weren’t just any car. They were on fire. They rampaged the city. Their cars have a lot of fire power on them. They have killed over 100 people already! They can’t be stopped. They’re after me. NO! The End
