Gwen Coburn’s Edinburgh Fringe debut Sad Girl Songs, explores the treatment of women with PTSD.

Running until 23 August, it is a drama set within the framework of a musical comedy show – a meta-theatrical piece that exposes how the comedy industry both causes psychological harm and then silences those who suffer from it.

Gwen’s experience, that trauma is not just about an act or event but its lasting impact on people’s lives, health and wellbeing, is resonating with many women at the festival.

And the fact that what she suffered was while working in the entertainments industry highlights the sector’s systemic failures to protect women.

Audience reviews reflect Gwen’s skill at tackling complex and troubling issues. They include:

  • “She really speaks to what it means to be a woman just trying to exist in this often troubling, patriarchal world. But she somehow makes it fun at the same time. A true feat.”
  • “It’s a really touching, funny and raw show that addresses a very difficult topic with sensitivity and grace. I really enjoyed the songs and was drawn into the story of the show from the beginning.”

Gwen said: “It’s been powerful to share the story with so many people, and to have many women sharing their similar experience in response. This is a comedy show, in that it’s about comedy itself – both as a tool for survival and as the thing that’s killing us. What’s really coming through is that we keep treating these as isolated incidents instead of being brave enough to look at the systemic problem.

“The comedy industry creates the psychological harm that leads to PTSD, then erases women who develop PTSD from the narrative. We’re not just failing victims – we’re actively disappearing them.

“Reporting systems are broken, action by employers and legal systems are inadequate. Many women end up being functionally isolated after reporting an issue, others suffer health problems – with me it was PTSD. But it’s bigger than individual failures – it’s about how we refuse to see the pattern. We need to come together and try new systems right now, because the harm is happening every day that we don’t.”

Gwen points to the situation in the UK entertainment industry and 2024 survey by the union BECTU which reported that:

  • 92% of creative industry workers witnessed or experienced bullying/harassment based on sex/gender
  • 85% experienced or witnessed sexual harassment in their workplace, with 20% experiencing serious sexual assault while at work
  • Only 9% of those who reported incidents thought they were dealt with appropriately, while 60% chose not to report because they worried about career impact

University of York research from 2023 concluded that the UK screen industry was “failing to tackle sexual harassment” and that women were losing jobs and careers as a result of reporting harassment.

Gwen’s own experience – discussed in the show – was from the trauma caused by an inappropriate and problematic student affair with her improv teacher in the USA.

She sets this against a backdrop of other mythological figures like Venus, and the beautiful maiden Medusa who was raped by the sea god Poseidon then, in the ultimate act of victim blaming, transformed into a snake-headed monster.

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