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Hello y'all!
My name is Kacie Koen, and in December of 2025, my play "How to Boil Water" was selected for an off-off Broadway premiere at the Chain Theatre in Midtown, NYC (as a part of the Chain Winter One-Act Festival). I am one of the youngest participants to have ever been selected for this prestigious production opportunity. Just before my 21st birthday, I will be having a professional premiere of my own work right in the heart of New York City.
Many of you already know me, but for those who don't, I am a recent graduate of the Arkansas School for the Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts ('23), and I spent my adolescence involved with The Pocket Theatre and Wednesday Night Poetry, carefully entangling myself in the Hot Springs creative community since I was 15 years old.
This play, at its heart, is about Southern culture, Southern femininity, and what it means to define yourself in the backdrop of the American idolization of the domestic woman.
Although this production is supported by the venue, our show's budget is a completely self-funded venture. We have many costs-- actor funding, set design, and costume creation, namely. I am asking for help from the community that raised me. Without Hot Springs and Arkansas at large, not only would this play never have existed, but I would have never found the self-confidence and opportunities that brought me to Columbia University in the City of New York.
This play is a thank you to those Arkansans who took me in. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Arkansans.
Below you will find more information about the play at large and donation tiers. If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out to me personally.
DONATION TIERS:
ANY Donation
- Receives (upon request) a PDF copy of the finalized production draft. This script is not intended for larger distribution.
$50 Donation
- Receives (upon request) a PDF copy of the finalized production draft. This script is not intended for larger distribution.
- 6 Months after the show date, this donor will receive a professional recording of the production for personal use. This recording is not intended for larger distribution.
$75 Donation
- Receives (upon request) a PDF copy of the finalized production draft. This script is not intended for larger distribution.
- 6 Months after the show date, this donor will receive a professional recording of the production for personal use. This recording is not intended for larger distribution.
- A complimentary seat (if viewing in person in NYC) or complimentary livestream access on the night of 2/7/25. This performance will include two other performances before "How to Boil Water" and a talkback with my director, Nathan Rakolta, and me.
$100+ Donation
- Receives (upon request) a PDF copy of the finalized production draft. This script is not intended for larger distribution.
- 6 Months after the show date, this donor will receive a professional recording of the production for personal use. This recording is not intended for larger distribution.
- A complimentary seat (if viewing in person in NYC) or complimentary livestream access on the night of 2/7/25. This performance will include two other performances before "How to Boil Water" and a talkback with my director, Nathan Rakolta, and me.
- Listed in the Chain Theatre Program (a popular NYC Off-Broadway theatre venue) as an official sponsor of "How to Boil Water." This program will be both digital and physical. This sponsorship can be listed under a personal name or organization (if requested).
PLAY INFORMATION:
A play about a Town and Country icon, bloodied bodies, and a Xanax-induced nightmare. There’s a world beyond this one. One beyond the hum of the TV screens, beyond the cinching aprons and the long-expired 80s bob. A home cooking cultural icon revolts against her last episode. There’s oil cracking against bloodied bodies. There are bruises and blue-screened studios. One question remains: was this show ever really hers?
Written by Kacie Koen
Directed by Nathan Rakolta
Produced by Chavon Patterson and Kacie Koen
Stage Managed by Ally Stancavage
Dramaturgy by Preston J. Kifer
Performance Dates:
2/7 at 8 PM (Livestream Available for Remote Viewing, Talkback Included)
2/15 at 2 PM
2/25 at 6:30 PM
Presented in part of the Chain Theatre Winter 2026 One Acts Festival
312 W 36th St. New York, NY 10018
Instagram: @howtoboilwater_play
Organizer and beneficiary
Chavon Patterson
Beneficiary