“I love wandering into a show I don’t know anything about and walking out a new fan of a playwright, comedian, or performer.”
WHO: Gwen Coburn
WHAT: “Think Gadsby meets Bloom, and Medusa has the mic. Gwen faces her fears – snakes, PTSD and the patriarchy – to pursue her comedic dreams in this raw, ‘hilarious and harrowing’ (Orlando Weekly) musical comedy where #YesAnd meets #MeToo. She delivers cry-laughing subversive anthems and laugh-crying catharsis in a brutally honest journey of PTSD and modern womanhood. It’s what her mom calls ‘the dark feminist stuff’, but make it singable. ‘A boldly brave work’ (Orlando Weekly). ‘Whip-smart’ (Winnipeg Free Press). Winner of Best Musical 2023 Winnipeg Fringe. UK Debut!”
WHERE: Ivy Studio at Greenside @ George Street (Venue 236)
WHEN: 15:10 (55 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
This is my first time at Edinburgh Fringe– and in Edinburgh in general– so if you see me on the street, recommend your favorite tea shop or bookstore for me to curl up in. I love Fringes. I love wandering into a show I don’t know anything about and walking out a new fan of a playwright, comedian, or performer. I get to constantly see shows that surprise me and feed my curiosity; there’s no better place to jumpstart my creative brain than at Fringe.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
2024 taught me to take life in tiny, present-tense decisions. Have I fully absorbed that? I’d say it’s semi-absorbed. I’m a dry sponge floating in a bowl of water: I’m soaking it all in, but it’ll take a bit to be fully submerged. I’m traditionally a “what’s next” person– a future dreamer and a planner. I still value that, but now I’m realizing how much I miss if I don’t make myself savor life in small, bite-sized moments.
Tell us about your show.
Sad Girl Songs is the “dark feminist stuff” brainchild of queer comedian, writer, and performer Gwen Coburn– that’s me! I’m a musical comedian and stand-up who writes songs like “Thank You For Not Murdering Me” and was Brava Theater’s 2021’s National Funniest Mami. Also, I was diagnosed with PTSD. Navigating the world of comedy as a woman with my diagnosis (or, as I prefer to put it, a PTSD-girlie) made me examine all the silly, difficult, and strange stories I’d been told about being a woman. Honestly, the myth of Europa? The bull thing? It’s very weird. I wrote a show about Medusa and my experience trying to make sense of her story and my own. I brought the script to director Kayleigh Kane, whose multiple talents in comedy and intimacy direction helped us shape the show into a funny and honest love letter to women, people with PTSD, and to comedy. We’ve toured the North American Fringes, selling out shows in Edmonton and winning Best Musical at Winnipeg Fringe. We’re so excited to share the show at Edinburgh.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
One show that immediately caught my eye is Gladiatrix. I love seeing new musicals. This one tells the story of powerful women shut down by the state– relatable content in the US and the UK it seems. Also it mentions having badass combat sequences; I adore a musical with an unusual form of spectacle, so I was sold! Other shows on my list are Andrea Coleman’s 3 White Guys Named John and Amy Veltman’s PSA: Pelvic Service Announcement.
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