Art takes many forms — some more provocative than others. At this year's Edinburgh Fringe, one artist is redefining what live performance can be, pushing boundaries with a show that features real on-stage org*sms every night.
Australian performance artist Emma Maye Gibson, who performs under the stage name Betty Grumble, is behind the provocative production Enemies of Grooviness Eat Sh!t. Described as an "eco-sexual sex clown," Gibson's work mixes drag, burlesque, clownery, and deeply personal storytelling into what she calls a “war-mask” against the patriarchy.
And yes, she climaxes on stage in front of a live audience — night after night.
What exactly is a ‘sex clown’?
“If you haven’t encountered a sex clown before, you might imagine somebody who uses their body to remind us to love ourselves,” Gibson explained to Metro.
Her show is described as “a flowing blend of clownery, silliness, fleshiness, poetry, and in its essence is deeply queer,” emerging from drag and underground LGBTQ+ performance scenes. Audience members are given content advisories ahead of the performance, warning of “sex scenes” and “joyfully wetter full-fr*ntal nudity.”
The show's climax — both literal and emotional — is what Gibson has dubbed the Grief C*m, a deeply personal moment she uses to process trauma and loss.
“I did it last night, and I hadn’t actually had an org*sm in my personal life in about a little while, maybe a week and a half,” she told Metro. “The first time I ever did the show I was so nervous… I didn’t fake it, I just didn’t have a kind of clench-release org*sm that some of us have. It didn’t happen for me.”
But since that first show, she says she’s experienced a “real org*sm—a big org*sm—every time.”
The act, she explains, is a cathartic release of grief from two major life events: the death of her best friend, drag artist Candy Royalle, in 2018, and her own harrowing experience of domestic violence that same year.
“So what I do is share that compost on stage,” she said.
‘Eco-sexuality’ and radical healing
Central to her performance and philosophy is a belief in “eco-sexuality,” a concept where individuals reframe their relationship with the Earth from mother to lover.
“It’s about coming into erotic and sensual relationships with nature, with fire, with our perspiration,” Gibson explained. “Our bodies don’t begin and end. We’re as the world. We are of nature.”
Eco-sexuality, she says, also helps her navigate anxiety and stress. “Whenever I feel myself hardening in particular ways to the world... the eco-sexual mindset can help me just expand and breathe out.”
An invitation to sit with discomfort
Gibson is acutely aware that not everyone will embrace her show with open arms. But she’s unapologetic about using her body and her story to challenge societal taboos around sexuality, grief, and the female body.
“It’s a big invitation to sit in some discomfort,” she said. “When handled the right way, this kind of work can be helpful, and that’s why I play with taboo and play with my body in particular ways.”
Audience participation is part of the experience, albeit in a “percussive” way. “They can contribute energetically to the soundscape. They are given a tool to assist the climax,” she said — emphasizing it's a “sonic tool.”
Not for shock value — but for unity
While some may assume the show is designed purely to provoke, Gibson insists that shock is not her goal. “I don’t sit home and go, ‘How will I shock them now?’” she said. “I genuinely want to invite people into my body, even though I’m very aware of taboo protocol.”
Her performance, she argues, is an act of “un-shaming”—particularly for women, or anyone who has experienced bodily violation.
“For women, especially – and I use that term really expansively – our bodies have been the site of so much violation, so the org*sm, the Grief C*m and sharing my body that way is a deliberate act of un-shaming,” she said.
Ultimately, Betty Grumble’s performance is a deeply vulnerable yet defiant exploration of trauma, sexuality, and healing. “I hope that this act of pleasure can be one that is of defiance, but also unity,” Gibson said.
Betty Grumble’s Enemies of Grooviness Eat Sh!t runs from August 1 to 24 at 9.15PM at Assembly Roxy – Upstairs, as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.