Tickets are NOW ON SALE for our annual Celebration of Authors Gala – June 20, 2025 – a family-friendly FUN–draiser for PlayMakers Laboratory!
Mark your calendars to come out to celebrate the creativity of Chicago’s youth!
Purchase Tickets!
CELEBRATION OF AUTHORS GALA 2025!
HOSTED BY: PLAYMAKERS LABORATORY
FRIDAY, JUNE 20
6:30PM – 10:30PM CDT
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MEXICAN ART, 1852 W 19TH ST, CHICAGO, IL 60608
Celebration of Authors is sponsored by WINTRUST BANK
Purchase Tickets!
It’s both our annual gala AND a family-friendly, interactive festival!
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 2024/25 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!
Adult Regular Priced Tickets —$75
Youth Regular Price Tickets, ages 4 to 15 —$50
Children 3 years of age and under can attend for FREE
Purchase Tickets!
Plus we will present the Annual Storyteller of the Year Award to author,
and PlayMaker alumni, Mary Winn Heider!
Mary Winn Heider is the author of over 30 books for kids, including THE LOSERS AT THE CENTER OF THE GALAXY, THE UNICORNS WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS, and THE STUPENDOUS SWITCHEROO series, which she co-created with Chad Sell. Mary Winn’s very first novel, THE MORTIFICATION OF FOVEA MUNSON, was based on her time working in a real life cadaver lab, and now that it’s a musical. In a School Library Journal column a few years ago, Betsy Bird wrote, “In an era of information overload, Mary Winn Heider is the author who will lead us through the pandemonium into the light.” Mary Winn’s books have been on state lists, appeared on Bank Street Best Books, received Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection status, been long-listed for the Edgar Award, and landed on Indies Introduce and Indie Next lists.But before all of that, Mary Winn was a company member with Playmakers Lab, where she spent a decade pretending to be a chicken, an astronaut, and a princess, and sometimes, all three at once.
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 28 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 utilize 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.
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 Mardi Gras Fund,
The Paul M. Angell Foundation,
The Polk Bros Foundation,
The Siragusa Family Foundation,
And generous Individuals like you!
By Jlyn T., Learn Campbell Academy
Arguments
That's Weird, Grandma
I believe summer is better than winter
My 1st reason is that in the summer time your car won’t freeze.
My 2nd reason is in the summer time you won’t get snow in your shoes.
My 3rd reason is in the summer time you won’t freeze.
My 4th reason is in the winter time if your family promises you something but it is too cold in winter.
My 5th reason is in the winter time you can look up when it’s snowing and you can get snow in your eyes.
In conclusion, I think summer is better than Winter
The End
By Hailey P., Morton School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time me and my mom walked house to house. (Boom boom boom knock knock knock) I had a lot of candy then I went to this one particular house and it looked like a face. I was so scared because it said (ooooooooooooooohhhhhh) My mom said that’s just sound effects. She took me to it. We knock the hosue opened its eyes and swallowed us whole it burped like a hog. The end.
By Israel P., Columbia Explorer’s Academy
That's Weird, Grandma
In the beginning Jack goes to his store and starts to make hotdogs. Then he went out to get fresh air. In the middle someone else was inside the building he poisens a hot dog. When Jack comes back inside jack gets hungry so he got a hotdog the one that the other persen poisoned. Then he became an evil zombie. At the end he found a note on a hotdog it said “Ha ha! I bet you changed into a zombie already. You will be a zombie forever because you ate that hotdog. Ha! Ha! From: Unkown
Then Jack goes intot he sewer because he doesn’t want to hurt anyone and he hasn’t been heard of again. Nobody ever even found the persen who poisoned jack. The end
By Nick, Denzel, Anton, Amarcion, Learn Campbell Academy
Arguments
That's Weird, Grandma
We believe everyone in the Windy City should have a pet rhinoceros named Pam. One reason is because they would keep us safe from robbers, snakes, and wrestling people, and stray dogs. Another reason is they are quiet and keep the peace and watch over us. Also you could ride your rhino and it could jump over traffic if you are stuck in traffic, and it could take you to school and it doesn’t need gas! Also our rhino is strong and could do heavy lifting and pushing heavy stuff and hard work. And our rhinos could be our friends and be real nice. That is why we believe everyone should have a pet rhino.
By Thilynne M, Learn Campbell Academy
That's Weird, Grandma
On my 11th Birthday my Mom woke me and took me to the lady house to get my hair done. I got me some blue highlighter and purple. And then I went home and when I came in everybody sad Happy Birthday. They were so excited that that everybody’s ears broke. That didn’t feel so good, so they all went to the hospital When we got to the
By Kyjuan M., Learn Campbell Spring 2012
Holidays
Winter Holidays
That's Weird, Grandma
Setting: Christmas Ball
One day a women named Kelly Kelly was going home with a lot of Christmas presents when suddenly she got stuck in a Christmas Ball her size. She called the army. They didn’t use any guns because they thought it might kill her and they did not want that to happen. So the used knifes and to try and bust the Christmas Ball. Then they gave up and used a tank and a machine gun but when the opened the bubble she was already dead.
By Corodero P., Chalmers
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon the time there was a man named Chef Palo but he was sad. He felt alone unhappy. So he went to Italy. He meet this girl name Kalay so he went to ask her on a date. They went out for six days but they did not no that they both felt the same way. Tommrow Palo was going to ask her to marry. So he told Kalay he had a surprise. Kalay said were are we…going? Chef Palo said We’re going to Hawaii. So they went. Six weeks later after the’d already been engaged they got married they open a resturt.
By Jasmine H., West Pullman Elementary School
That's Weird, Grandma
Oh my god
I found my sister’s friend.
I’m holding
my girlfriends hand.
“Oh my.”
My friend said, “I can see a dead man’s head.”
I see a blond woman and she is coming.
I can hear
a clowns laughter, and he is fatter.
WE are
at a new years eve party
and we are
Drinking Bacardi.
The countdown is just getting started
and my friend is having a ball.
THE END.
By Taniya J., Willa Cather Elementary School
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time there was a lady who was by herself and she was just looking around and she was on the bridge. She wanted to swim home in the water but she had on her work clothes so she couldn’t because she had to go to work in the morning and the whole family was going out and there was nobody to watch her kids so her kids were about to go with their dad but he had work in the morning too and then her kids start crying so then she said to herself I need to swim home but I got on my work clothes and I got work in the morning and the clouds were dark and scary and she saw a scary mountains then she saw her husband and her kids and then her whole family came and saved her and she hopped in the car and went home. THE END.
By Damajae M., Avondale-Logandale School
True Stories
That's Weird, Grandma
One day I was sleeping over at my uncle’s house and I was sleeping on an air bed and I was laying on the edge of the air bed and my older brother and little sister was playing on the airbed and I fell and hit my head on a heater and I was still asleep and when I woke up it was bloody all over the floor so I went to the hospital and i got staples. THE END
