Why This Woman Climaxes Onstage Nightly—And the Shocking Purpose Behind It

If art could speak, would it whisper “please, not another still life”? Or would it dare you to blush in row F? Gallery walls be damned—Emma Maye Gibson, aka Betty Grumble, is smashing tradition (and maybe a few comfort zones) in her ruthlessly radical new Edinburgh Fringe performance, Betty Grumble’s Enemies of Grooviness Eat S*** . Think about it: Ever wonder why we tiptoe past oil paintings when a body, storming the stage with poetic nudity and full-throttle sexuality, shakes us awake? This isn’t your granny’s landscape exhibit… unless your granny enjoys sex clownery, orgasmic catharsis, and wringing meaning out of every gasp—in which case, wow, I want to meet her . What happens when art bursts out of its “respectable” frame and invites pleasure, grief, nature, and rebellion to all writhe together in the footlights? I’ll admit—I can’t look away, and I doubt you can either. Curious where this rabbit hole leads? LEARN MORE

Art can take many forms, from oil on canvas, to dance, to the human body.

It doesn’t have to be stuffy galleries and paintings of landscapes or flowers, as one woman is setting out to prove.

One performer is bringing an unconventional show to the Edinburgh Fringe, performing as Betty Grumble in Betty Grumble’s Enemies of Grooviness Eat S***.

She calls herself an ‘eco-sexual sex clown’, and will be performing in a way which might raise a few eyebrows.

The performance is said to ‘blend of clownery, silliness, fleshiness, poetry and in its essence is deeply queer’ and is inspired by drag act and burlesque.

Emma Maye Gibson who performs as Betty Grumble blends sexuality with art in her new show (Instagram/bettygrumble)

Emma Maye Gibson is Betty Grumble, and she told Metro about her performance and sexuality can absolutely be art.

The Australian says her show is a ‘war-mask’ against the patriarchy, and her performance involves her masturbating and orgasming on stage every night

Possible punters are forewarned about ‘sex scenes’ and ‘joyfully wetter full-frontal nudity’.

She has dubbed the climactic moment the ‘Grief c*m’, following the death of a close friend and her horrifying experiences with domestic violence.

She revealed: “I did it last night, and I hadn’t actually had an orgasm in my personal life in about a little while, maybe a week and a half,” she says.

“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 orgasm that some of us have. It didn’t happen for me.”

She said she managed to talk herself out of her nerves and has had a ‘real orgasm’ every time since, describing it as a ‘big one.’

However, like any sexual act, she finds it can take longer if she’s feeling nervous or awkward for whatever reason.

Gisbon is a believer in ‘ecosexuality’ as a sexual identity.

Gibson says her show and performance has helped her to process grief (instagram/bettygrumble)

She says it’s ‘where people 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,” she says.

She uses her show to process her grief and anger she felt about her life experiences and losses, and says the show has also been very helpful in dealing with shame.

“For women, especially – and I use that term really expansively – our bodies have been the site of so much violation, so the orgasm, the Grief Cum and sharing my body that way is a deliberate act of un-shaming.”

Asked if she was worried about it reaching a less-openminded audience, Gibson replied: “I also think that the Fringe is a place to take risks, and there are people that might come into the show and be surprised, either happily or not, and that’s okay, because we can make that together.”

She asks the audience to get involved ‘sonically’ with the climax of her show, but she is aware it isn’t for everybody.

“It’s a big invitation to sit in some discomfort….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.”

She insists the aim of the show isn’t to shock or disturb though, saying she doesn’t sit at home thinking ‘how will I shock them now?’

Gibson is all about pushing boundaries, but finished by saying: “I hope that this act of pleasure can be one that is of defiance, but also unity.”

She will be performing from August 1 to 24 at 9.15pm at Assembly Roxy – Upstairs for Edinburgh Fringe.