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 Rayana E., Morton School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time there was a lady name OG granny. She was so mad she had to go get some nachos for her self and then she went back to the house and then she said Fluffy why did you do that to me. Then she said girl lets go party today so we can go dance and have fun. Dance Dance Dance. Lets go and then she was mad that someone lost her money so she said where my money THE END.
By Tamarra M., Dewey School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
Hi my name is horsewolf. My job is eating people hair off. I like marinating people hair in applesause. One thing I dislike is shrimp. THE END.
By Matthew G., Poe Classical School
That's Weird, Grandma
Once there was a pizza he was very sad because his family lived in Texas. He lived in China. But he visited them. But he can’t. Pizza was so sad he cried. He only eat his favorite snack ice cream Then he went to sleep. When he wake up he went in the kitchen and saw his family. He was just imagining it. And that was so sad he cried even more. He watched TV all day. He was the saddest pizza in the world. Then not was just a dream. His mom hugged him. He was so happy. THE END.
By Kinnaria D., Super 7 Program at Cather Elementary School
Dialogues
That's Weird, Grandma
Nikki Manaj = (walking in) hey fans let’s bring out Condurre tonight
Condurre = (Walking and talking) howdy y’all I like to be on this show
The crowd = the crowd (mumbling) is she a country person
Condurre = (Loud) “Saying leave me alone im new to this show”
Nikki Minaj = Crowd give Condurre respect ain’t that’s right
The crowd = NO NO NO NO!
Nikki Minaj & Condurre: “Sayin bring out Jerry Springer now”
Jerry Springer saying could I bring two girls out here tonight to fix their problems their name is Aniya and Ariel C’mon out Ladies (Yelling)
THE END.
By Darryl M., Dewey School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time I was in my grandma’s house. I was watching tv then I came out of my room then my grandma asked me to get a cup then she asked me to get water then when I got up there she asked me for foodcolor when I get back up there she drank it. THE END.
By Jamesha H., Chalmers School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
I would wear a skirt and shirt my super weapon is a mic. My mission is to sing. My arch enemy is super don’t know how to sing. My super power are I know how to sing How I got my super powers is when I heard someone sing. My weapon is my Mic. One time I met my enemy, sang out loud. The crowd cried then I got on the stage and beat her. (picture of a girl singing “la la la” the other says “oooh, I lost) THE END.
By John M., Loyola Park After School Program
That's Weird, Grandma
One day me and my triceratops and my family went to the water and we found a volcano under water and we went into the volcano and it was not a volcano at all it was a volcano house. The house was filled with monsters like big foot, trolls, goblins, minotaurs, pegususes, dragons and made up monsters. I picked out a dragon, minotaur and a megadragon and in one of the stores they had weapons, powers and monster food. To be continued… THE END.
By Daisy J., Columbia Explorers Academy
Arguments
That's Weird, Grandma
Dear Grocery store manager,
I was so mad last week when I went to the grocery store! I can’t believe you are still selling unicorn meat, they are magical creatures who deserve to live! In addition they should live so that they can repopulate the earth so they aren’t just a fantasy myth! In conclusion stop selling this!
P.S. Where do the unicorns live?
……
Dear Lady,
So what if they are magic! They taste like the heavens and I’m not going to stop selling this!
THE END.
By Eukyirah W., Morton School of Excellence
That's Weird, Grandma
Once there was a woman who was crazy. She was known for her name because she lived in a creepy house and she kept saying Coo-coo all the time at the house she was very very crazy she was known as the Coo-coo lady. THE END.
By Maximo R., Loyola Park After-School Program
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
There is a nice bus in the universe, but a witch came on and made the bus full of snakes. The people waiting got te bus think it is still nice. When the bus pull up to the stop, the people went in, and the freaked out. The witch who is driving said, “Where do you want to go?” The people said nothing. They were just scared. So a magic wizard turned it back nice again. And the witch said, “I will come back”. The People said, “No you will not.” THE END.