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 Bolakale, Skinner West Elementary School
Once upon a time in the year 3519 there was a restaurant called Pizza Central and at Pizza Central they only sell Pizza but the pizza was made by robots and it was always good but one day someone knocked pickles in the pizza dough and instead of telling the cook they made it look like nothing happened so when someone ate a pizza there something was not right “ew” they said this pizza has pickles in it everyone left the pizza place and the owner was broke. The End
By Skylar, Skinner West Elementary School
Characters: Queen Txunomy , Prinssese Emily
Setting: Castle in Brizile
PE: Mommy Can I get a bunny?
QT: If you find a prince and marry him before sundown you can get 7 and a mom for them.
PE: Will you get accsesorys and beds too?
QT: Sure.
QT: But you have to earn a quarter of the profit.
PE: (The next day) heres the money and prince the wedding is done. (Proudly)
QT: YOU DIDN’T INVITE ME! (In shock)
PE: Yep.
QT: Anyways heres the bunnys.
PE: I love you, I’m going to play with Ponelepy
QT: WAIT!
QT: I still have other bunnys.
QT: Oh no!
To be continued!
By Meagan, Youth Guidance After School Program at South Loop Elementary
What up you all it’s time to rock in roll I have a huge fashion show today and they said that we can only wear light colors but guess what, I ain’t doing that today because I’m a rocker and I’m as cool as Beyoncé. Then I drove to the fashion place whatever it’s called when I got there everybody was like omg… The End.
By Isaiah S, 4th Grade, Peirce International School
Characters: Isaiah, Pete
Setting: Sidewalk
I: Do you want to go to space with me?
P: No!
I: Why not it will be fun!
P: No!
I: Why give me a answer!
P: Okay, I am afraid of anything that goes off the ground.
I: You will not even notice there are no windows.
P: I guess so! When do we leave.
I: I know! (he pushed a button and a huge claw out them in a rocket ship and flow up in the air!)
P: AAAAH!
I: Landing on mars in two days!
P: WHAT! You did not tell, meee, it was going to take TWO DAYS!
(They finally got there and Pete did NOT like it)
The End
By Amelia, Bella, Drew, Keelin, Cherokee Elementary
It was July 2016 and the US Olympic team had just won gold. Everyone met for breakfast after their celebratory pizza karaoke party the night before. They got a call from Domino’s Pizza in the middle of breakfast. Domino’s asked the team to represent them in several TV commercials. “OOOOO” they said! “Of course we’ll do it! Free pizza!” “I’m Megan! I’m Bella! I’m Julia! I’m Drew! We sure love Domino’s. The chosen pizza of the US Olympic team!” After days of commercial filming and pizza eating, the team was sick. The team met for a swim practice and they felt different. After a few minutes in the pool, they emerged different and soggy. They had transformed into actual pizza. A member of the diving team approached the pizza people and treated himself to a nice hearty lunch. The End
By Vanessa, Loyola Park After School Program
In 1994 there was phone. Not like 2017 phones, be big thick phones, that your hands can bearly grab with your hands. Mostly in 1994 we made a lot of work, we really did not had all that technology that we have, now on the days. Also kids used to be played with toys and board games. Now we play with their touch phones. In 1994, people got the tech and started playing with it and getting addicted. The End
By Joshua S. , 4th Grade, McPherson Elementary
Once in 2015 there was a person named Jenny. She was lazy it was like she was making a competition of who could be the laziest. One time she was laying in bed about to go to sleep when Jenny’s house was lit on fire. Now most people would get up and go. But Jenny said ill deal with that later. So Jenny waited until it got to her room and thats when she called the fire department. They got there just in time and the told her to go out the widow. What Jenny said was ok but can you help me I haven’t gotten up since I was 9 and now I’m 29. So they helped her and now every 3 days a week she either gets up and takes a run or goes to the gym. The End.
By Brandon H , Herzl School of Excellence
Dialogues
Setting: Hollywood
Characters: Drift, Palm Tree Tula
D: (driving around and saw someone (Tula) Hi you look lonely, do you wanna be my friend?
T+P: (crying), omg! Yes! I’ve been so lonely since they keep cutting down all my family.
D: why are you sad?
T+P: Because some people want to cut me down to make a mall!
D: I will buy you and water you and take care of you!
T+PT: oh thanks! (sniffles) so very much!
(Drift decides to undig her with materials he got including lots of water & food) (he begins unrooting when he’s almost done he takes a break) The End.
By Alex V, Loyola Park After School Program
Me and George Washington that I don’t want to go to his house. George Washington invites me to his house and he tells me he’s president so I have to listen to him. And he has manners at his house and because he has a bathtub. Why I don’t want to go is because he is president and I don’t want to listen to him and because I don’t want to have manners and because he has a bathtub and I don’t want to go in the bathtub and because he has wooden teeth and a wig and never washes his self. So yeah that’s why I don’t want to go to his house. THE END
By Lola, Loyola Park After School Program
The weirdest thing I ever ate was a sord and then krampus eats Santa and all of a sudden they are in a nursing home. Santa is dead! hAAAAA Krampus isn’t scary he turned into a monster and then Santa turned into a monster. And then the monster, that was Santa was dead! Krampus devoured Santa and then there were in the snow and Krampus… The End.
