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 Camron F , Learn Campbell Academy
One day it was a lonely old man named Tommy with a cat named Brownie. When he picked up Brownie Brownie screamed at him and jumped out of his arms. Tommy started to cry then when he was done crying he said “Brownie Brownie Brownie my love where are you?” Tommy didn’t hear anything so he checked everywhere. He checked the kitchen and his room and the basement and the living room and the bathroom but he wasn’t nowhere so Tommy said “Nooooooooooooo!” so her got his coat and ran outside and ran to Go Bananas and saw the cat playing games. “Tommy, what are you doing here?” “I didn’t tell you to come here, yo.” “Oh my God, I having aheart attack.” “Yo he’s having a heart attack.” “It’s too late he’s dead because you took too long.” The End.
By Joahan R, Dawes Elementary
True Stories
It was a hot summer day me and my family were going to my soccer game it looked like if it was going to rain but I didn’t cared when we started playing I could hear the lightning coming down from the sky; then it started to rain it started to getting faster and faster they stop the game because it was raining too hard I can hear the people screaming like little girls and complaining about their clothes I ran to my car my whole family were in the car I was really wet and I didn’t have any extra clothes and that was the time that I learn to bring extra clothes every time when I go to play soccer. The end.
By Ruth B, Teaching Lab Collaborations at the University of Chicago
Dialogues
M: Hi I’m Midnight. (gleefully shyly waves)
N: Hi I’m Navy (cooly waving)
M: Wow your navy coat is really pretty.
N: So is your black one.
M: We should be best friends.
N: (nod)
M: Come to my stable (wave toward stable)
N: OK (walk away with him)
M: Here it is (point to stable)
N: That was a great meal.
M: Oh, thank you, I liked the fried hay too!
N: Well good night!
M: Same to you
M and N: (Stand in a comfy position) zzzzz he haw zzz he haw (float around)
The End
By Casey S, Little Village Academy
Once upon a time there was a dog who had a fancy hat with a tuxedo. That hat that he bought was magical. That hat granted all wishes. His first wish was to have all the wishes he wants. The second wish was to live in the city of Chicago. The third wish was to have 8 pieces of meat. Then the rest of his wishes were to get some more pieces of meat. Then
when it was his millionth time eating the pieces so every single time he eat 8 pieces of meat he got fatter and fatter. One day he couldn’t stop eating that he couldn’t fit in his own house. He was perfect for King Kong, Big foot or even Godzilla. His very last wish was to have more wishes and to be just like when he bought that black hat. By the way when he
bought the hat he was skinny. The End.
By Natalie, Lorca School
I’m a flower and I believe that people should not pick me. My first reason is that I won’t grow. My second reason is when they pick my I will die. My third reason is I will not swell good any more. In conclusion, I believe that people should not pick me.
I am a flower and I believe that people should pick me. My first reason is I will look good one some one’s hair. My second reason is I will smell good. My third reason is I will get to go every were. I believe that Should.
The End
By Ronnie H, Learn Campbell Academy
Nick said was bad. He was try[ing] to come in. I said no. Not on the hair of my chinny chin chin. I will never let you in but if you want to be in [my] band I will let you be and he said that hey will you be up and I said I think Nick should be [in] my band. Ok. You who be in my band I said ok if [you] let me, too. The End.
By Asia B , Chalmers Elementary
True Stories
I’m Janine and I want a teddy bear. I need it to sleep. I always wanted one, but I lost mine and I need another one. I had three of them and lost two of them, but I wanted to sleep with all of them. I tried to go to a toy store and ask the manager if I could have one because I lost mine and I wanted two more. The manager said I needed to catch some money. I was so mad that I snatched everything off the wall of the store and threw it down on the ground. Then someone offered me 2 teddy bears and I was happy.
By Shiloh C , Loyola Park After School Program
It was a normal day in the village of marshmallows until this short nerd named Zeus had a huge problem. There was a pizza shortage at Zeus’ house (of course he ate it all the time) but because he ate it all the time, it became a huge disaster, for him. He begged for it all day but his neighbors wouldn’t give it to him, when he called the pizza company they wouldn’t give it to him. The End.
By Deanna C, Dewey Academy
Once upon a time there was a man who work at a London. He was forced to make a dog house by Abe Lincoln. Abe Lincoln was a great man to help people to see. The End
By Laila N. , Dixon Elementary
There once was a big bully named Mike. He was mean and he didn’t like anyone. One day, Mike walked up to the new kid named Jake and gave him a wedgy all the way to his head. After he walked up to Jake’s sister named Jackie, but Mike kicked her in the leg for no reason. Then, Jake and Jackie went home and created a big robot to destroy Mike. After that, the next day Mike walked up to both of them and said “Give me your lunch money or else.” Then Jake told the big Robot to make Mike into a McDonald’s burger. Finally, Jake and Jackie split a Mike burger.
