After a successful run at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, Hold Me Down, a one woman musical, will have two more shows!
Saturdays August 24 and 31, 8pm, at the Center for Inquiry West Tickets: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10490?tab=details
Created and Performed by Jackie Yangyuen
Direction and Dramaturgy by Shyamala Moorty and D’lo
Music Direction by Paul Kirz Jr.
Set Design by Mario Aguirre
Costume Design by Sam O’Neul
About the Hold Me Down:
She was tangled up in shame and expectations of what everyone else wanted her to be.
Through bondage, she found freedom.
A one woman autobiographical musical as told by Jackie Yangyuen (she/they) – a queer and Asian American songwriter, actor, and kinky human.
Reviews from the Hollywood Fringe audiences:
“…both heartbreaking and healing.”
“Well-balanced and deeply moving. Hold Me Down reaches out to you and captivates you while making you feel safe in the space. The music is beautiful, the choreography is thoughtful, and the dialog is wildly engaging.”
“The way she used the ropes to illustrate her points was like a well-choreographed dance… It organically led us from the beginning to the end, and left me with a sense of peace and possibility.”
“HOLD ME DOWN is a wonderful, poignant, and yes – playful! – solo show that captures the nuance, and delicate intersection, of both pain and pleasure, especially for anyone who is mixed and comes from an immigrant family. Vulnerable, yet sweetly serious, HOLD ME DOWN captures Jackie’s immensely fascinating journey into rope bondage and how it has both tangled and untangled her mental health struggles. Her immense desire to be held and hold is felt by the audience throughout the piece. Be sure to catch it!”
“…a masterful balance of light-hearted playfulness, gut-wrenching anguish, and radical compassion for both herself and the imperfect relationships she has with those who impacted her life most deeply…What makes Hold Me Down special is Jackie’s ability to take a collection of happy, sad, sexy, and sobering personal experiences – and transform them into a message of hope and healing for people at any stage of searching and self-acceptance.”
“As the sole star, Jackie moves seamlessly from one character to another, creating a distinct voice for each that carries us through the story. There are splashes of comedy. There is risk-taking in the exploration of kink. And there are moments of reflection that will hold you in quiet suspense until the last breath. Her honesty is what the theatre is made for.”
Content warning: 18+, rape/sexual assault, verbal abuse, gambling addiction, mental health (depression, suicide), bondage and fetish
