PlayMakers Laboratory Story Archive
Celebration of Authors is back in 2026; Stay Tuned for More!
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!
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.
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 Marvell L., Chalmers School
That's Weird, Grandma
He (Rocky) have five friends that name was Mike, Steve, Dan, and, Brian, Jack. Rocky was rich and he brought the biggest truck in the world. Him, and his friends painted his truck blue and they went to Rocky house and saw gold medals for boxing. They ate Italian beef for lunch. Now they have girlfriends because of Rocky.
By Dominic M., 5th Grade, Henry Suder School
Dialogues
That's Weird, Grandma
Battery: I stick
Wax: What I can not hear you
Battery: can you help
Wax: any way I’m not a ear doctor
Battery: what did you say
Wax: I not a doctor
By Brittany K., 4th Grade, Wright Elementary
True Stories
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
On one sunny day a girl named Susie. She was jumping on the trampoline. (Bounce! Bounce!) Then she heard the phone ring. (ring. ring! ring. ring!) I heard my mom sooooooo excited. Then I heard, “She will be so excited and I bet she will like it.” Hmmmmm. Who was she talking? I went inside the house to ask who she was talking to. “Mom” I said, “who were you talking to?” “Oh! It was your uncle Jimmy on the phone. He has a surprise for you.” said my mom. Then I went back outside. I wonder what the surprise is. What could it be? I can’t wait any longer! Is he coming out there or are we going there? Let me go ask. “Mom,” I said, “is he coming here?” “I can’t tell you that” said mom, “It’s a surprise.” “WHAT!!!” I said. “I’ll be outside.” Why can’t she just tell me!? Why, why, why!? Later on, I was on the swing and then I heard (Ding Dong!) Who could that be? I hurried inside the house. “Hey, hey, hey!” Uncle Jimmy is in the house!” I couldn’t believe it! It was my uncle Jimmy! “Sooooooooo,” I started to say, “Mom said you have a surprise for me.” “Your mom can’t keep secrets that much.” said uncle Jimmy. “Hey, wait a minute,” said mom, “I kept a secret for you when you wet your bed when you were 9!!” “Now lets don’t start in front of the kid.” Said uncle Jimmy. I started to giggle a little bit. Then uncle Jimmy looked at me. So did my mom. “Sorry,” I said. Then I heard a weird sound. “Uncle Jimmy, what is that noise?” I said. “Oh, I almost forgot!” my uncle said. He ran to the car and got something in a box. He open the box and he said, “It’s called a snakeadile.” “A snakeadile! Wow! I never heard that before.” I said. It had a color like a Iguana! My uncle asked me, “Do you want to hold it?” “Sure.” I said. It felt rubbery. So me and my pet went outside. We raced and we went on the trampoline. I love my pet!
By Malik L., Dewey School
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time there was a little girl named Kate. She said, helow Malik and I said hi Kate. She said I don’t want to be your friend anymore. So I said “Why” so she said because you’re a “Chicken.” So I went to get my chicken mask. And said Cluck, cluck and Bak, Bak chicky chicky.
The end
Continued…
Kate laughed and then she asked if I wanted to go to the park. She gave me a raspberry. I took it and ate it. “Why did you eat my raspberry punk?” and I said I’m not a punk I’m a chicken.
The end.
By Arif L., Washington Irving School
That's Weird, Grandma
Once there were two bad couples. One day they went to the beach together. Then a men started to take pictures. Then the monster hitted the camera men far away. They lived horriblie ever after.
Then after they got married even though nobody came to there wedding. Everybody hated them. They was the worst neighbors ever. One day the whole town was so angry that they runned them out of town. So they moved to Montana and everyone hated them too.
By Chrissy M., Garfield Park After School Program
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
Once upon a time there was a girl name Monique Lee who live on a farm with lots of animals like cows, sheep, and horses. And one day she decided to take a nap and she dream about lots of good things like trees and butterflies and while she was taking her nap all kind of things happen like the plants begin to die and stuff. So when she finally woke up she was on a deserted Island with all kinds of creatures and bad things and bad stuff was happening like she begin to get smaller and stuff like that and she finally woke up and found out it was all a dream.
The End
By Dakotah B., 4th Grade, Richard Henry Lee School
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
One day a person had to go to the bathroom. He drove to this building when he went inside he had his back faced the door so he did not see the room filled with chicken. So someone that worked there opened the door and he got out and went to the bathroom.went back to the door but it was locked. The door can only open from the other side of with a key. He got hungry. So he took some of the chickens eggs and ate them. He was bored so he thought he would count the chickens. It was hard for one there were too many and for two the chickens would not stop moving. He fell asleep when he was sleeping
By Jackson M., 4th Grade, Loyola Park
Poems
Songs
That's Weird, Grandma
Other Venues
Wilmette 2008
Exciting to the extreme!
Xylophones are beautiful!
Cats purr!
Loving and caring!
Awesome and amazing!
Magnificently crazy!
Acrostic poems rock!
Tis the season to be jolly!
I am loving!
Optimistic and cheerful!
Never unhappy!
By Joshua F., Brenneman School
True Stories
That's Weird, Grandma
One day I went to church. My grandma took some tuna.
She ate it in the cab. I said it doesn’t smell so
good. My grandma said your very funny. I said no I’m
not. I said you is very old and you smell so good.
She said you doesn’t smell good. I said you is very
very nice. I said I have to throw up. She said stop
playing so much. I said whatever. BE HAPPY!! THE END
By Kayla C, West Pullman Park Words at Play Program
Poems
That's Weird, Grandma
What is your life? What is your style?
What is your name? What is your favorite color?
What is your house? What is your home?
What are you? Who are you? Where do you come from?
What is your life?