PlayMakers Laboratory Story Archive
Tickets are On Sale for CELEBRATION OF AUTHORS 2026 on June 27!
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.
Can’t attend our party? We’ll miss you! Consider donating to support arts education in Chicago. Thank you!
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.
Wintrust Bank
Forward Space
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 Stephanie E., 4th Grade, Columbia Explorers Academy
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
COA 2008
Once there was some astronauts that were trying to make a party for a friend so they had the party and they were acting like some strange astronauts can you believe it!!! It was crazy that you want to die of the laughing because the things that the astronauts did.
Astronauts sometimes are crazy! The end.
By Janely A. & Javier D., 4th Grade, Avondale School
Dialogues
Holidays
Halloween
That's Weird, Grandma
Celebration of Authors
COA 2008
Characters: Vampire and Dog
Setting: in the house
V: you want to be my friend.
D: Yes I want to be your friend.
V: OK lets go to my friend house.
D: OK lets go to your house.
V: Wait let me tie you up.
D: No you are a bad friend.
V: Get out of this house.
D: What you said “Go to your house.”
V: But you said I a bad friend.
D: I know but I go to my house OK.
V: OK. Get out.
D: You are a bad bad friend OK.
V: I going to my vampire house already.
D: OK I not care OK.
V: Bye then.
D: OK Vampire go run.
V: OK see you then.
D: OK.
THE END.
By Christopher C., 4th Grade, Stockton School
Arguments
Songs
Celebration of Authors
COA 2008
My name is Chris and I believe we should make Clones
My first reason is when we are bored we can play with our clones
My second reason is if my friends can’t play I’ll clone them
My third reason is I can make my clone go to school while I play with my clones.
By Paige O., 5th Grade, Loyola Park After School Program
Celebration of Authors
COA 2008
Once upon a time there were three guys named Hogan, Liam, and Martice. The three guys were looking for love. Hogan was looking for good looking girls that like some of the stuff he likes. Then the three guys met three girls named Jennie, Margaret, and Amber. They all got together for brunch.
By Sejla I., 4th Grade, Field School
Songs
Celebration of Authors
COA 2008
Once there were two friend that went swimming in a lake. There were ducks and baby ducks too. They jumped again and they did not know how to swim so they were teaching each other and having a great time. There names were Tommy and Sandy. They were mostly like cousins, but not cousins. They did a lap when they learned to swim. It was a great and sunny day to go swimming at a lake. The lake was very big but the ocean is bigger. They splashed water in their faces. Sandy had a red t-shirt. It was almost 3:00 in the afternoon. Time to go home yelled Sandy’s mom.
The end.
By Anton R., 4th Grade, Henderson School
Celebration of Authors
COA 2008
Once there was a group of Asians who came to Walmart. They were demanded that they lower their soap prices to 50 cents a bar, but they wouldn’t. So later they planned to trash the Walmart. But when they trashed it the Walmart came alive, trapping everyone inside. So the Walmart keep lowering its prices and it keep every one inside. Suddenly a 70’s disco star will five of them danced their heart out. The Walmart said “I will return everything back into its natural balance.” But mysteriously the Walmart keeps lowering its prices every day, swearing never to turn bad again. The end.
By Sandra S. & Diana F. , 3rd Grade, Bridge School
Dialogues
Celebration of Authors
COA 2008
Characters Princess Diana and Princess Sandra
Place: Kingdom
PS: Hey Sis want to make a new spell?
PD: Of course I will make the spell so you could knock on my door before you enter!
PS: how come you get to make the spell I want to make a spell too—oh to knock my door when you’re done with your spell.
PD: Fine with me but you have to do whatever I say!
PS: I don’t have to listen to you because I’m older.
PD: I don’t have to listen to you because I am older.
PS: I don’t care! Just agree with me!
PS: Why don’t we just get over this OK let’s both do a spell together.
PD: I will never get a long with you ever ever in my life or share with you!
PS: Lets get to be best sisters and destroy boys that like us.
PS: OK best sister.
By Rodrigo F., 4th Grade, Little Village
Celebration of Authors
COA 2008
Once upon a time there was a concert about a chicken who could sing. This little girl named Suzie she saw the commercial about the singing chicken. She got so hyper that she started running around the house. She wanted to go see the singing chicken sing. So she started jumping on the bed until she could touch the ceiling. So then she went to find her mom painting the walls. She told her mom if they could go there. And her mom said yes. The next day they went to see the chicken sing at the beginning the chicken sand the pledge and then started to sing whatever song. Suzie and her mom started to laugh so hard, their lungs died out. The show took two hours. And when Suzie and her mom came out they were so surprised.
By Arthur S, Deja Y, Deon G, Darrid M, Lavelle A, Mykayla J, Daniel D, Christian W, 4th Grade, Reavis School
Celebration of Authors
COA 2008
This paper was from when we wasn’t on the planet- that’s how old it is. A man was with fish, and he took a break to write a poem. He used paint and an old piece of paper. When he finished the poem and he cleaned fish, and put them in the window so people could have them. He tore the poem up by accident, but then he taped it back together. He takes the poem and gives it to his best friend. His friend, Milton, says, “it is very nice.” The man sells some fish, and gives some to poor people for free.
THE END
By Marisol B., 4th Grade, Cleveland School
True Stories
Celebration of Authors
COA 2008
When I went to Wisconsin first, I fixed my clothes in the drawers in my room and then we went to a Walmart close to our hotel which was called Wilderness on the Lake. After that my mom and dad stayed cooking food with me my sister and my nieces and my 2 brothers and my others sister and my 2 aunts went to swim in the hotel swimming place. After that we came back and we were hungry so we ate. Then the next day we went to a place where you can ride horses. I rode a horse by myself and was excited but at the same time I was scared because what if I fell. Day after that I went to a place where there was lots of pools. A day after that I went to walk around the hotel we found a place where you can play golf so the next day we went to play golf. The next day we went to a place where we went in the house it was backwards you saw all the things backwards it was called the top secret and there one of my nieces got lost so we had to look for her. So we packed our things and came back to Chicago.