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
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.
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 Idaly R., 4th Grade, Little Village
True Stories
One day I had pizza party sleepover with my friends and then it was midnight my mom ordered a large pizza for me and my friends the guy came and my mom had paid him. She came to the living room and brought plates for us so we could eat the pizza in the living room we were eating pizza and my friends there eating so much they looked like they were eating a cow. It was so disgusting I felt like I was going to throw up a hole storm of vomit. And after my friends ate the hole pizza by thereselves, we were hearing a little bit of music and the “plain white T’s” were on and the song 1234 from the “plain white T’s” were on the friends turned up the hole volume on the stereo, and it was so loud that the hole universe would hear it. It was the badest day ever.
By Robert C., Tatiyana P., Keithetta H., Jayce N., Nicholas B., Keeanna C., Takeia, , New Sullivan
Once there was a shark named Chopper. He chops up things—bones and things people throw in the water. He likes chopping things up, but he’s mad because he’s lonely and wants his friends and family back. If they were in a boat, it might tip over and he might chop them by accident. It was a tradition to chop things—when he was born he chopped. He had to figure out how not to chop them. He saw his family swimming towards him. Their mom and dad, brothers and cousins had thought he was missing. Then they found him when they got close, they came together to connect. Somebody threw a can in the water. He bit it and his chopping tooth came out.
The END.
By Connie, Dayanna, Alana , 4th Grade, Stockton
Dialogues
Characters: Yasmine, Cloe, Jade
Setting: at mall
Y: lets go to the mall. (sends a call to friends)
C: Yah ok! (getting ready)
J: I am getting in my car right now. (walking in high heels)
Y: I’m finding a parking space. (Driving)
C: I’m there getting out of my car. (opening the door)
J: I am in the mall. (going threw the door)
Y: I’m walking in the mall right now. (going threw the door.)
C: I see Yasmine (ponting)
Y: Ha girl friend. (waving her hand.)
C: What’s the do yall. (hand on hips)
J: What’s happen. (Diging in my purse.)
By Rebecca S., 4th Grade, Paderewski
True Stories
That's Weird, Grandma
Wean I have it a bratfy is tarta bad Because one day it was may bartfy and it was on my back yard and there was pepol and kids and we were plaing the monkey bardes in my back yarad I have monky bardes in my back yard. Then it was time to eat and we eat the pepls and the kids and it was fun then we were start to play the monkey bardes and then the pepol have to me presents it was my bartfy and then it was time to eat cake and the pepol what cake then it was a problem that the cake fall in the grass then I good mad and I went to the house and starta to cry becuse they drop my cake put then I went out sayde and there was a nice cake and good of choclete and it was foor me and then we eat cake and have a good day wet my cake and the pepol that’s all my story
Final.
By Osbaldo C. & Ruben C., 4th Grade, Little Village
Dialogues
That's Weird, Grandma
Characters: Dinosaur, Dog
Setting: Castle
Di: (riding a bike) Ha Ha I got a bike.
Dg: Can I ride your bike
Di: No because it is mine!
Dg: (crying) Please!
Di: (yelling) No didn’t you hear me!
Next Day
Dg: (riding a monster truck) Now who is laughing
Di: (scared) Please stop chasing me!
Dg: (laughing) Now who has something better Ha Ha Ha!
Dg: (crash) Ha Ha I crash your bike!
By Israel S., 4th Grade, Avondale
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
once a guy did a grill out and invited people but he had no grill so he went to a store and it was $500 so he buy it and he is in love with it so he did the grill out. He invited his family and friends and his family had a dog a big dog and his family and friends said I love the grill too and he made a heart out of his hand.
By Vonetta B., 4th Grade, Kohn
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
Max Jones wanted to be a super agent but he had to pass the super agent test. First, they made him sneak threw boobey traps sneak and people houses and take a top secret mycrochip. He almost got caught but he manage to sneak out just in time when he went back he had the mycrochip and had snuck thew the boobey traps he was safe and became a top secret super agent. The End
By Aaron, Courtez, Luis, Terrance, Rubi, 4th Grade, Stockton
That's Weird, Grandma
Jamie and Claudia ran away from home because they got tired of living there. They ran away to Mexico and hopped onto a school bus to get to the airport. But when they got there they found out it never existed. They go back on the bus to drive all the way to Mexico, but the bus ran out of gas so they got stuck in the desert and had to eat scorpions. They run into Ms. Basil E. Frankwieler and found out she’s going to Mexico too, so they go with her. Then HER truck shuts down so they call a tow truck. They find a book in the desert called “Living In Mexico”, but the authors name is scratched out. They were stopping people on the expressway asking them if they’d written this book. They arrive in Mexico and they meet Pedro. He hides his identity and he says, “Yo no escribe esta libro.” Jamie and Claudia and Ms. Frankwieler say “What?” Then they learn to speak Spanish and Pedro says, “OK. I wrote the book.” The End
By BJ, Loyola Park
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
Batman drives a 2030 Lamborghini that has a refrigerator in it and a flat screen TV. His villain is Cinderella. She wanted to steal the ice jewelry that was worth millions and billions of dollars. She tried to use it for one of her evil schemes. She wants to rule the world. Batman says “you will not rule the word” and she puts Batman in a slipper. Batman throws something (one of his Bat things, a boomerang) and breaks the glass. Then he grabs Cinderella and puts her in handcuffs and puts her in jail and Batman goes home.
The End
By Jacinda V., 4th Grade, Cleveland
That's Weird, Grandma
I went back and saw when my mom and dad met. They were at a carnival. My dad saw my mom he said “You are very pretty.” Then he said “Could you give me a kiss?” She did then that is how they fell in love. Then her friends said “You go girl.” The end.
