PlayMakers Laboratory is pleased to present Celebration of Authors Gala: A Family Friendly FUN-draiser, the company’s annual gala and a family-friendly, interactive festival all wrapped into one fun-filled evening on Friday, June 20, 2025 from 6:30 – 10:30 pm at the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.
The festive evening will feature food and drink (open bar for adults), games, a silent auction (also available online), a 360-photo booth and, of course, live performances of stories written by Chicago students throughout the 2024/25 school year, adapted and performed by PML company members. Attire is “Fancy Schmancy” (dressed to the nines – or something fun and silly that expresses you!) All proceeds support PML’s creative writing programming in partnership with Chicago Public Schools.
PlayMakers Laboratory company members perform a student-written story. Photo by Jared Verdejo.
PML will also present its “Storyteller of the Year Award” to PlayMaker alumni Mary Winn Heider for her work in supporting youth voices through her national platform. She is the author of over 30 books for kids, including “The Loser 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 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.
Regular prices tickets are $50 for youth 4 –15 and $75 for adults. Tickets available at playmakerslab.org/events/celebration-of-authors.
The Celebration of Authors Gala 2025 is sponsored by Wintrust Bank.
About PlayMakers Laboratory
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 six-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!