PlayMakers Laboratory

PlayMakers Laboratory is a Chicago-based arts education theater ensemble dedicated to creating an alternative learning environment where children share their personal voices and celebrate the power of their imaginations. Since its founding in 1997, the organization has become a vital force in Chicago’s arts education landscape, working primarily with students aged 7-13 in Chicago Public Schools and through after-school programming.

The organization’s core mission centers on empowering young voices through creative writing workshops conducted in elementary school classrooms, primarily serving grades 3-5 in under-served communities across Chicago’s South and West sides. During these six-week residencies, professional actor-educators guide students through an innovative and interactive curriculum that creates a joyful environment for creative expression. The program supports classroom teachers while building on students’ existing skills, providing a platform for further developing and improving literacy abilities through imaginative storytelling.

What makes PlayMakers Laboratory unique is its commitment to bringing children’s stories to life. The ensemble of professional actors, musicians, and comedians adapts student-written stories into dynamic sketches, songs, dance numbers, and theatrical performances. These adaptations are first performed for students at their schools, celebrating young authors in front of their peers and families, and then showcased to the public in the long-running variety show “That’s Weird, Grandma.”

The organization operates from the Neo-Futurist Theater, located at 5153 North Ashland Avenue, where public performances allow the broader Chicago community to experience the creativity and vision of young authors. These performances demonstrate the power of children’s imaginations and showcase the remarkable stories that emerge from the workshops.

PlayMakers Laboratory offers multiple program formats including in-school residencies that meet weekly for six weeks, after-school programs at Loyola Park that provide deeper creative writing and drama curriculum over extended periods, and the annual Celebration of Authors event that brings together students, families, and supporters. The after-school programs uniquely allow interested students to perform each other’s original stories in year-end performances.

The organization is overseen by a committed Board of Directors and employs full-time staff along with approximately 75 teaching artists who receive year-round professional development and extensive classroom support resources. This infrastructure ensures consistent delivery of high-quality programming that has touched thousands of Chicago students.

Through its programming, PlayMakers Laboratory practices a student-centered philosophy working toward a vision of creating “a radically kind Chicago that champions the ideas of children,” making it an essential resource for arts education and creative development in Chicago’s educational community.