A Builder
By Deavon H., Paderewski Elementary
One day a man name Tomiss was buindaing great house one house a hammer and wood it was falling a apart.
The end.
PlayMakers Laboratory Story Archive
Tickets are NOW ON SALE for our annual Celebration of Authors Gala – June 20, 2025 – a family-friendly FUN–draiser for PlayMakers Laboratory!
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
- 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
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!
THE AMAZING GIFT OF WONDERLAND
By Maricruz, Idania, Samantha, Erika, Fabian, Leonardo, Columbia Explorer’s Academy
Once there was a crocodile named Wonderland who lived in a sewer in Miami. Wonderland had a special gift, he could spit out delicious food: macaroni and cheese, tacos, mangos, mole and watermelon! His friend Patrick was jealous of his gift and he was not being nice to him. Patrick tricks Wonderland into coming over to his house and locks him in so he can’t share his food gift with the world and become famous. Wonderland starts to spit the food at the windows to break them. Patrick notices what he is doing and realizes that he is making his friend waste food. He realizes he is not being a good friend to Wonderland. He releases Wonderland and says, “I’m sorry.” Then they go on vacation together to Ireland! THE END.
THE VERY BAD MONKEY
By Blanca B. , Columbia Explorer’s Academy
There was a monkey and he did not like children or people. So when he saw a window open in a classroom he went inside. He started bothering them. He started jumping around and knocking down their own stuff. Then the teacher started whacking him with a broom. Then the broom fell and the monkey started whacking the teacher with the broom. Everything in the classroom was on the floor when the principal went inside and he found a big mess and when he walked in the monkey hid. All the kids were crying. So the teacher got fired and she never got to be a teacher anymore and the monkey started laughing with joy and when the principal walked out and the monkey left and never came back.
SHOOTING STAR
By Shonnell P, Paderewski Elementary
One day a boy named Adam lived a normal life. He looked out his bed room window. He missed his Mom. She died two weeks ago. Then he saw a shooting star. He made a wish his Mom was still alive. Then two minutes later it was a crash somewhere and the ground shaked like a earthquake. It looks like a yellow star by the forest called Forest Under the Stars. He went there. He picked it up and said he will never get his Mom back then he cried. Then he heard a soft voice. He looked up and it was his Mom. He dropped the star and ran to her and hugged her. The end.
THE SUPER HERO STATUE
By Juan, Davey, Miguel, JD, Mary, Jaqueline, Jasmine, Lorca Elementary
Once upon a time there was the statue of Liberty. The statue of Liberty was alive but nobody knew it. He lived in a wooden cabin in the ice. He wanted to buy a super hero, and a super dog. But he didn’t have enough money. So he started doing chores. to get money. Like walking the dog, and working out, and he got enough money to buy the super hero and the dog. He was happy and excited. THE END
UNTITLED (COWBOY AND HORSE)
By Charlie D , Loyola Park After School Program
Once upon a time a cowboy named Spurs rode his horse. Then he said “Yee-ho” and his horse galloped thorugh the woods and there the horse stopped. He saw a very beautiful white horse. Spurs’ horse snorted. The beautiful white horse snorted. Spurs thought they were talking to each other, but hen Spurs’ horse bucked him off without warning him. They rode off. Spurs said “Stupid Horse he bucked me off then rode off. Stupid horse HE BETRAYED ME!” Spurs waited and waited, but he never came back. The End!
BIG HIPPED MARTHA
By Kia F, Avondale-Logandale Elementary
Once there was a lady with really huge hips and there was no clothes that would fit her and she had to have a special designer make her clothes. Finally the day came that the clothes were ready. When she went, the clothes cost a lot of money because all the material was used on her dress so the price was $100,000,000 dollars just for one dress. She asked a friend the friend said ‘Are you kidding me? It’s not my fault you have big hips!’ So Martha felt bad and she never found any money and she thought to herself that’s how I’m going to live. She started crying and finally found the money in her bank and could only afford that dress so she lived her life with only one dress. The End.
PEE BOY
By Christian W., , Dewey School of Excellence
My name is pee in the bed boy and I pee in the bed while watching Dora and also Cinderella. I am good at peeing in the bed. My goal is stop peeing in the bed. I am scared of Dora because she said my name in a crazy sound. If I pee everywhere, I would go outside with my dog and sleep and pee with him. My secret is I pee in the bed while watching Dora and every time my sister have a Dora toy I would pee and hear the Dora song in my head.
THE DOG
By Ethan S, Loyola Park After School Program
Once there was a doggy who was trapped in a cage. So he barked and barked and barked. Soon the owner of the pet shop came down the stairs. The doggy was really scared. So he howled and then his friends broke open their cages and broke open his cage and then they escaped before the master could ever get them. The End
UNTITLED ARGUMENT (ELEPHANTS COME TO MY HOUSE)
By Jeffrey Hill , Argument
Elephants come to my house. My reason why they should not come to my house is they play my wii and play Michael Jackson and they break my bed when I’m in it and they write on my notebook and they ring my doorbell eat all my food. They furt in my room, my Mom room and I had kick them to the cover. The End.