Jake Mace
Gwen Coburn’s upcoming EdFringe dark musical comedy Sad Girl Songs sees her pursue her comedic dreams and face her three deepest fears – snakes, PTSD and the patriarchy. Gwen describes the show as where ‘where #YesAnd meets #MeToo’, with subversive anthems and ‘laugh-crying catharsis’. We caught up with Gwen for a pixelated pint to find out what inspired the show.
You can catch Sad Girl Songs from August 1st to 23rd at Ivy Studio at Greenside @ George Street from 15:10 (55mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake: Hi Gwen! Sad Girl Songs sees you facing your three biggest fears – snakes, PTSD and the patriarchy – tell us about what inspired the show and your process for writing musical comedy.
Gwen: The show is a love letter to women and marginalized people in comedy, and those who have left comedy. Wherever I went talking about my experience with PTSD and trauma in the comedy community, people shared stories just like my own – experiences with power imbalances and the loss of their community. I realised this was in many ways a universal story about surviving in patriarchal spaces.
Being diagnosed with PTSD was this huge ah-ha moment that helped me understand why I had chosen situations and relationships my body knew were hurting me. I started examining the stories we tell about women: Medusa turned into a monster after her assault, Europa’s glamorised rape. Ultimately, patriarchy is a tea we are all steeped in. Sad Girl Songs is about a comedian trying to hold onto comedy at all costs, and it’s my attempt to be brutally honest about these realities while making them brutally funny. I don’t have a plan to end patriarchy, but I can invite audiences to look at these difficult issues together.
Jake: Tell us about what the audience can expect coming into the show, and what they might not expect about the show.
Gwen: Sad Girl Songs is a dark feminist comedy with songs like “You Should Know Where the Clit Is” and “Thank You For Not Murdering Me.” An audience member can expect useful tips for dealing with your fear of snakes, some jaw-droppingly bad bumble profiles, and a ragtime number about the clitoris. There’s also a thoroughly silly PowerPoint presentation and some Greek mythology woven throughout.
They might not, however, expect that there’s a song in the show about them.
Jake: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?
Gwen: Shared humanity and some new jokes. There’s something beautiful about laughing together, and something brave about looking at complicated, systemic issues as a community. For those who share similar stories, I hope they will come away feeling taken care of and seen. I had one audience member say that the show made him reconsider power dynamics in his own relationships and the steps he can take to address them, and that remains one of the loveliest reactions I didn’t expect. We’re surrounded by hard questions without easy answers – but we don’t have to face them alone.
Jake: With Edinburgh Fringe 2025 just around the corner, what are you most excited for?
Gwen: I’m so excited to see amazing shows, share my work with Fringe audiences, and discover the coziest bookstore and tea shop Edinburgh has to offer! If you see me on the street, give me your recommendations.
Jake: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?
Gwen: Sad Girl Songs would be a Dark N’ Stormy: spicy, bubbly, sweet with a kick to it. Plus there’s something wonderfully chaotic about the name that feels on-brand for a show about navigating stormy emotional weather.
A reminder, you can catch Sad Girl Songs from August 1st to 23rd at Ivy Studio at Greenside @ George Street from 15:10 (55mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Image Credit: Dirty Sugar Photography
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