Untitled
By Cesar C, Stockton School
True Stories
Songs
My sister fell on garbage and she cried. 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!
I Got My Hair Done
By Gerina C, New Sullivan School
Friday I got my hair done by my sister friend at my grandma’s house. She came there to meet me and it was in the afternoon. We were talking and playing and watching some videos. They were music videos on MTV and JAM. My favorite was Trey Songs’s “Bottoms Up.” Then she did my hair and it looked nice. I liked it.
The Girl Who Had a Monkey
By Parianna B, New Sullivan School
It was a woman named Sady that she love her monkey. She feed it bananas. She take the monkey everywhere she go she take it to work. She take it to the movies and give it popcorn. And she would let anyone touch it and did not like they say she is mean. She had long hair and she have lip gloss. And her monkey is black and white. It is a boy or girl and she was married and very pretty and I like her. I think she is so nice. And she live by herself with her monkey and she have a wife. I think her boyfriend named 50 Cent.
Dear City Hall
By Ethan B, 4th Grade, Dixon Elementary School
Arguments
Songs
DEAR CITY HALL (BUTLER) Ethan B/Kordae E Dixon 2012
I believe that we should have butlers because we can have other people cook, do homework and do your chores for ever. While you goof off and play video games and eat junk food. Also you can have them eat your vegetables while you eat cake and candy. SO you can stay home and do whatever. While the butler goes to school and get you good grades and do all your work. Deuces people Learn it live it love it. PS Butlers rule!! And without butlers you never have a chance to be lazy for one single day.
Untitled Dialogue
By Brandon, Jenny & Brisa, Lorca School
Escenario: Una casa
Personajes: Papa, Mama, Hijo
H- Papa, puedo ir al parque?
P- (cansado) No estoy muy cansado (bosteza)
H- Por que no? Por favor!
P- Te dije que no. Que no! Bueno, que no! (Enojado) Pide a tu madre que te lleve. Me voy a acostar.
(La mama esta sentada en la sala)
H- Me puedes llevar al parque por favor?
M: No estoy viendo mi telenovela. (El sacerdote casa a Pancho Lopez con el fantasma de Laura) FIN
English translation:
Setting: A house
Characters: Dad, Mom, Son
Son: Dad, can I go to the park?
Dad: (tired) No I am very tired (yawns)
Son: Why not? Please!
Dad: I told you no. No! I said no! (angry) Go ask your mother to take you. I’m going to
lay down.
(Mom is sitting in the living room)
Son: Can you take me to the park, please?
Mom: No I’m watching my soap opera. (The priest weds Pancho Lopez to the ghost of Laura)
The End
CRAB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (It’s snow crab)
By Ally B., Dawes School
It was the best thing
I had ever put in my mouth ever
And I had put a lot of things in my mouth.
Snow crab in lemon butter sauce
So tender, buttery, hard to get open though
None of my family members loved it as much as I did
They had ordered 2 pounds
Slow down ally, my mom said
I was literally shoving it down my throat mmm
I had eaten about a pound and a half now
I was getting full
The crab settled nicely in my stomach and I was getting ready for dessert
For Dessert: a Chocolate sundae
The best thing next to crab at red lobster
I had liked crab so much we made it into a family tradition for new years
Yum yum it was raining snow crab in my stomach
THE END
Rock
By Gabriel J., Loyola Park After-school Program
Hey-Rockhead! I like to do jokes on people. I’ve never even heard of a park. I live on Gabriel’s desk. I like it here. I have space and get to be with my friends like the computer and sticker book and toy drawers. I don’t hate anything. I like to say “Hey Rockhead!”
Rock: Hey! How ya doing!
Gabriell: I’m doing good!
Rock: You have a rockstellation (this is a joke, then he spits and it lands on Gabriel’s forehead) Ha ha ha.
Gabriel: Is this dirt?
Rock: It is dirt, it’s rock ice ha ha.
TWINS? MAURICE AND HUMPTY DUMPTY WAKEESHI
By Bill, Rolando, Michael, Marlon, Neidi, Miriam, and Natasha, Gladstone Elementary
Once upon a timethere was two twins. They were a boy and a girl. The boy’s name was Maurice. The girls name was Humpty Dumpty Wakeeshi. They went to Burger King. They got a happy meal and a High C. Maurice looked like a 200 eyed alien. The girl had one eye in the middle of her face. She had an antenna sticking out of her head. The girl was walking down the street and she met a raccoon and kissed it. She took the raccoon and found her brother. They were going to go home but went to the wrong house. It was a haunted house. Then a ghost came and said: “Pee, my lunch is finally here.” Then he chopped their heads off. They went to McDonald’s with no heads and said: “Give us $5,000.” The person at McDonald’s screamed! She gave the money and the headless twins were rich. And they grew their heads back. The End.
The Amazing Zurine
By Bella D, Loyola Park After-school Program
Hi my name is Emma. I live in Colorado and my parents are divorced my mom lives in Colorado and my dad lives in Texas. I’m going to see him for the summer my dad owns a farm. I was at my dad’s and I wanted to go horseback riding. Her dad didn’t have any time so she went alone. She took a horse named Zurine and he was her favorite horse. One day she was going to go out horseback riding. She couldn’t find him and so she tried to find him but she couldn’t. But finally she saw him hurt. His hoof was stuck under a fence. They got him out and cured him. He was good as new. Everyone lived happily ever after. The end.
Pluto was my only Friend
By Vincent Y, New Sullivan School
Characters: Mars the planet, Pluto the planet, Alien waiter George
Setting: The Milky Way Restaurant
Mars: Good morning, Pluto (like an alien)
Pluto: whatever (grumpy)
Mars: Why are you so grumpy?
Pluto: I only have four weeks to live!
Mars: Well that’s not very good, let’s go out to eat.
(They go to Milky Way Restaurant to get milk shakes)
AWG: What are yous doing here so early?
M: Pluto’s only got four weeks to live so we’re trying to make it better.
AWG: Well here, have as many free milkshakes as you want (happy)
——four week later——
(Pluto blows up and its not a planet anymore)
Mars: Oh no! That was my only friend. (sad)
The End