Princess Cut: A young girl’s reality inside a Tennessee sex ring
Princess Cut: A young girl’s reality inside a Tennessee sex ring is based on the actual experiences of a young woman from Knoxville, TN who was brought into a sex trafficking ring by a family member at the age of five. Princess Cut was written to shed light on a dark, but true, story. The play follows a young woman, “Sarah”, as she relives memories of first being victimized by her family member, of then being introduced into a sex ring, and of later learning to live a double life as the psychological trauma caught up with her.
In May of 2014, Yellow Rose Productions premiered Princess Cut as a one-night performance in downtown Knoxville. The audience response was overwhelming and Yellow Rose received requests to put on repeat performances in other locations around Tennessee.
In August of 2015, Yellow Rose Productions had the opportunity to perform Princess Cut in NYC as part of The New York International Fringe Festival. FringeNYC is the largest multi-arts festival in North America and Princess Cut was well received.
A question and answer session led by a panel of professionals followed each performance of Princess Cut. Jerry Redman, of Second Life Chattanooga, led each past panel discussion, along with local professionals and members of law enforcement, in order to respond to questions from the audience and provide action steps on how to help fight sex trafficking within the community.
In January of 2017, Yellow Rose Productions performed Princess Cut for the final time in Chattanooga, TN. If you are interested in obtaining the rights for your theatre to perform Princess Cut, please reach out to Yellow Rose Productions via our contact page.
Princess Cut
Photography by Allison Wesselius
2015 | Lynn Redgrave Theater at FringeNYC | New York City
Princess Cut
Photography by Caroline Eddy
2014 | Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Andrew Johnson Theater | Nashville, TN
Princess Cut
Photography by Kerry Chipman
2014 | The Lyric Theatre | Loudon, TN
Princess Cut
by Broyles, Koczen, Roos
2014 | The Square Room | Knoxville, TN
Past Performances
Princess Cut: A young girl’s reality inside a Tennessee sex ring:
The Square Room
Knoxville, TN May 2014
The Lyric Theater
Loudon, TN October 2014
Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Andrew Johnson Theater
Nashville, TN November 2014
The University of Tennessee’s Carousel Theater
Knoxville, TN April 2015
Lynn Redgrave Theater
The New York International Fringe Festival
New York City, NY August 2015
Barking Legs Theater
Chattanooga, TN January 2016
City of Refuge
Atlanta, GA May 2016
Family Justice Center
Chattanooga, TN January 2017
What Others Have to Say
“Princess Cut” at FringeNYC 2015
“A hearfelt, pained expose”
-Kevin Martin, Cinema Stage
“Princess Cut” at FringeNYC 2015
“This is a harrowing tale, worth seeing, and worth remembering…”
-Kevin Martin, Cinema Stage
“Princess Cut” at FringeNYC 2015
“An essential story. A raw, powerful, gut-wrenching tale of triumph and survival.”
– Alisa Simonel-Keegan, Theatre Is Easy
“Princess Cut” at FringeNYC 2015
“Many of the scenes I wanted to turn away from, but Sarah’s voice is a call to action. It is a voice that MUST be heard, by audiences, by the theatrical community, by the authorities, and by the world. It is so courageous for (her) to tell this story.”
– Alisa Simonel-Keegan, Theatre Is Easy
“Princess Cut” at FringeNYC 2015
“Yellow Rose Productions has brilliantly created a piece filled with the agony and revelation, strife and courage that their subject shares.”
– Alisa Simonel-Keegan, Theatre Is Easy
“Princess Cut” at FringeNYC 2015
“The cast is excellent, talented, cohesive and very supportive, as they move through this horrific tale. They don’t break for a second.”
– Alisa Simonel-Keegan, Theatre Is Easy
“Princess Cut: A young girl’s reality inside a Tennessee sex ring”
“The play set out to present this painful social issue in such a way as to force the audience to confront the issue’s uncomfortable reality. It certainly accomplished that goal.”
– Knoxville Urban Guy (Alan Sims), Inside of Knoxville
“Princess Cut: A young girl’s reality inside a Tennessee sex ring”
“Whether this play returns or Yellow Rose Productions offers something entirely different next time out, it is clear these talented women have much to offer our local arts scene and that they aren’t afraid to bring it.”
– Knoxville Urban Guy (Alan Sims), Inside of Knoxville
“Princess Cut: A young girl’s reality inside a Tennessee sex ring”
“…they wanted to use the power of the theater not for mere entertainment. They wanted to do good.”
– Doug Cumming, Like the Dew
“Princess Cut: A young girl’s reality inside a Tennessee sex ring”
“Kerri and Danielle looked out and found an issue, found sources, interviewed one in depth, protected her identity, and told her story artfully to an attentive audience. That’s literary journalism.”
– Doug Cumming, Like the Dew