Rebecca Perry on Ten Years of Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl

In a world where coffee orders are complex and career paths even more so, Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl brews up more than just laughs. Rebecca Perry’s one-woman show, now celebrating a decade of performances, invites us into the heart of a young woman navigating early adulthood through the lens of lattes, customers, and existential questions. What begins as light observational comedy becomes a sharp, soulful exploration of ambition, identity, and the art of becoming. We sat down with Perry to talk hipster nostalgia, the emotional anthropology of barista life, and why Joanie’s story still hits home with audiences from Gen Z to Boomers.

The show begins with a deceptively light premise - a barista observing customers - but it opens up into something far more layered. How did you build that structure?

I love that you picked up on that! It’s true. People can often look over the show as fluff, but it is about that incredibly nerve-wracking moment of taking the leap from being a student to a young adult and everything that comes with that, including that amazing but awkward stage in your life of figuring out who you are as an adult. As a young 20-something, that often comes with joe jobs, internships, unpaid positions, and other things you’re trying to do to get yourself on the right track for your career. Yes, the heart is a comedic piece about what animal a quirky customer would be in a “coffee shop jungle,” but it’s really a commentary on society and how we treat each other on the whole. A coffee shop is a great observation point to watch others and how we behave while having a drink made or making a drink.

Do you see Joanie as a reflection of a specific generation, or does she speak to a more universal coming-of-age experience?

While Joanie is very distinctly categorized as a young millennial based on when she graduates and the fact that the show is set in late 2013/early 2014, I think she represents that generation when everyone was a hipster dressed in flannel clothing, there were man-buns a-plenty, and she was walking through the world with indie music on her iPod. Her goals were inspired by Carrie in Sex in the City for sure, but ultimately her passion for wanting to pursue her career, create a space for herself in the world, have her say and not let any male-dominated fields get her down is something a lot of people, Gen Z included can relate to in regards to carving your own path, making lemons of lemonade and so on. Joanie and her story start where gig culture is just starting to boom, which is something Gen Z has really started to embrace, and I think that’s why anyone from age 9-99 comes through the door and loves the show.

The “coffee shop jungle” metaphor is both playful and profound. What does that space represent emotionally for Joanie?

I think to her it's a way to figure out her surroundings. Much like the way Dr. Jane Goodall categorized the chimpanzees she worked with, Joanie becomes the David Attenborough of the coffee shop because it’s a way, as a young adult, to feel less afraid of being in totally new surroundings every day, figuring out what’s next, and how to interact with people who could be decades older than you or even six months older.

Many artists wrestle with self-definition early in their careers. Did Joanie help you figure out who you were as a performer?

Absolutely. As a redhead, I often got typecast as the villain or some sinister role, and I’m quite a lighthearted person. This gave me a chance to exercise my comedic chops, and figure out who I was as a performer where comedy is concerned not just from a script written by someone else, but with my own material, especially as an artist who quite enjoys improv on the stage as well.

After ten years, how do you keep the show feeling alive - both for yourself and your audience?

I think that’s the joy of having a piece that has a lot of themes people can resonate with. IOt’s always fresh because it’s something people want to hear about. That said, it’s grown a lot over 10 years - I think something has changed at every stop I’ve been to. On top of that, it’s now a nostalgia piece because I refer to something like Lady Gaga’s meat dress or owning an iPhone 2 when I now have an iPhone 16. I think there’s a playfulness about it becoming this piece that lives in a certain time frame because there’s joy in witnessing someone’s journey and remembering what that time meant to you as an audience member.

With Gen Z now navigating many of the struggles Joanie faced, how do you think the show resonates with them differently?

I think they have fully embraced gig culture in a way millennials didn’t quite learn how to. I love the saying that millennials were on MySpace so that Gen Z could be on TikTok. That’s a great way to describe how gig culture has evolved, which was a struggle JOanie was just starting to face. Nowadays, I know very successful influencers and social media managers who make comfortable livings doing that and it’s really impressive. They embrace the idea that your job doesn’t have to be a set number of hours or a set definition, which is something Boomers and Gen X hammered into millennial’s minds. Gen Z embraces the unknown in a way we were too nervous to, and I’m happy seeing them flourish.

What do you hope people walk away with - especially those feeling stuck or uncertain about their path?

I think, and I think this is the case for Joanie, that there is no set path, and everyone’s career or way of life they’re searching for isn’t going to happen overnight, but also might not happen the way you want or expect. Be open to the idea of the unknown and where it could land you! I didn’t graduate expecting to be a solo performer as most of the work I do on stage, but here we are, and I love it.

Rebecca Perry’s ‘Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl’ is at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival until 25th August. For tickets and more information, visit: https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5373/