Jackie Yangyuen presents Hold Me Down. Produced by Cooper Edgren.

Bad experiences in life can have tragic consequences for some people. For Jackie Yangyuen, however, traumatic events led her to unleash her creativity. In Hold Me Down, she finds a safe place to express and share her own narrative.

A mother with gambling issues and a supportive, but distant father, exacerbated Jackie’s struggles. Furthermore, she developed mental health issues that just added more pressure to the already critical situation. Fortunately, Jackie found avenues to channel the pain towards a positive outcome. Music was one of those avenues. The other one was more of a surprise: BDSM.

Rope play became a healing paradox, one that only people that have experienced the world of BDSM can understand. Submission and pain, as degrading as they can sound, are powerful elements to unlock freedom. Obviously, BDSM is more than Fifty Shades of Grey; the practice, in Jackie’s case ropes and suspension, can heighten the senses to an orgasmic level, liberating insecurities and traumas, deepening the Dom-Sub relationship. The adrenaline of pain can be powerful and healing.

Getting professional help and having a supportive BDSM partner were essential to stop Jackie’s darker intentions. Hold Me Down delivers a critical message of hope, compassion, and self-acceptance. For Jackie, finding an artistic expression to process and overcome her struggles was pivotal. She is busy working on several projects, so her mind is occupied with creative endeavors. For sure, we will hear more from her in the near future.

Her play contains reference to sexual abuse, gambling, and mental health issues, all presented with tact and in an engaging manner. Jackie also debunks some taboos about BDSM and the dynamics among its practitioners, something that always triggers interesting conversations. Jackie uses pop music, lighting, and comedy to lighten up the darker side of her story, but they’re also elements that signify that there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Hold Me Down

Asylum @ Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre
5636 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Fri June 28, 9:00 PM – NEWLY ADDED!

Sun June 30, 2:30 PM

Tickets: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10490

Written and performed by Jackie Yangyuen.

Producer: Cooper Edgren. Music Director: Paul Kirz Jr. Movement Director: Shyamala Moorty. Script Director: D’Lo. Set Designer: Mario Aguirre. Costume Designer: Sam O’Neul.