Bringing Chemotheraparty to the Stage

Heya hiya everyone! Hope you’re doing awesome!

My name is Katie Engelby, and I created an authentic, energetic, and completely original musical called Chemotheraparty. Chemotheraparty follows a new cancer patient, Sara, as she navigates through chemotherapy and sees the realities of what it takes to fight cancer – the good, the bad, and the fun in between. It is based very closely on my own experiences with stage 4b Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I was extremely lucky to have family and friends that kept me grounded as I went through treatment, and it was their support, their love, and their wonderful sense of humor that helped me stay me throughout treatment. It also strongly inspired me to write a story about how chemotherapy and cancer are both everything and nothing like you expect them to be, and I wanted to share with others the same humor and energy I was surrounded with as I went through treatment.

Chemotheraparty has become something more than I could’ve dreamed. It started off as me singing the songs acapella to my voice teacher, Paige Williams, to composing a 6 part score for the songs with Paige, to professionally recording the songs, and most recently to a very successful table read to a nearly sold out venue of 130+ people. And with how incredible everyone has been and how much they poured into it, this is only the beginning.

We’re doing this fundraiser so that we can put on a staged production of Chemotheraparty. Mics, costumes, sets, the works. We’re already deep in the process of rehearsals, with many dances already choreographed, many songs amplified with harmonies, and staging already beginning. Plus, we just booked a theater! It’ll be at the Virginia De Land Theater at the Yorba Linda Cultural Arts Center, and our shows will be July 13th and 14th. We’ve got an incredible cast, incredible music, and an incredible story we’d like to share with you.

However, to put this show on after the recording and the table read, it has become difficult to fund. I am now reaching out if you are able to donate in any way to help offset some of the costs of putting the show on. I'd be incredibly grateful for any support you can give.

This website does take a small percentage of each donation, so you can also donate to my venmo (@k8e-engelby) if you prefer to do that as well.

We’re making this show happen no matter what, and your help can make this show even that much better. This is definitely a show you’re going to want to see.

Incredibly grateful for all of you for all of your support and love to myself and to everyone that’s been a part of and inspired this show. Hope you all stay awesome, and hope to see you all at the world premiere staged production of Chemotheraparty in July!