You Should Feel Bad

Everyone’s heard of feel-good comedies, but what about feel-bad comedies? You Should Feel Bad is a collaboration of three “artists” from Atlanta who are here to answer the questions nobody wants answered, like: How did the Grinch reverse racism (Asheville Fringe Festival, 2023)? YSFB devises pieces about social, political, and environmental issues that are important to us. We’re here to make you laugh until you cry - or at least feel a little weird about it. 

  • Adam Friedman

    HE/HIM

  • Kayla Ibarra

    THEY/SHE

  • Tom Zhang

    THEY/THEM

How The Grinch Reversed Racism

You don't Wanna Miss this Allegary...

A devised show about the Grinch being Asian and the bad faith derailing of conversations about race. Or: Tom thinks the Grinch is Chinese like them. Adam barely knows who that is. Together they’ll rip him open to investigate capitalism, ecoterrorism, and maybe a bit of casual xenophobia..

Devised and written by Tom & Adam
Directed by Kayla

Meowderous Intent

When I have a photo or video, I’ll post it. 

Dora the Explorer Meets a Murder Mystery

Two zoology interns engage in a deadly game of cat and mouse with various animals involved in fateful cross-species interactions such as a baseball-vaporized pigeon and a man-eating tiger. The documentarian meddles in an animal world they don't understand. Maybe anthropomorphizing animals isn't the best way to understand them. Maybe understanding shouldn't be the goal at all.

Devised and written by Adam, Kayla, and Tom

Expiration Date

When I have a photo or video, I’ll post it. 

Lessons I Learned from Rom-Coms

Taylor and Jordan just broke up. Taylor isn’t ready to give up on true love, and so enlists the audience in completing a series of date coupons that Jordan got them as a gift previously. The audience follows along and participates in a series of dates in the style of the romantic-comedies that have come before - a picnic in the park, a massage, a trip to the museum - before Jordan is fed-up at this one-sided narrative that forcibly involves the audience. The piece then shifts into their perspective, now seeing their relationship for the horror movie it was. Eventually, after another series of “dates,” Jordan leaves Taylor alone onstage to deal with the reality that this relationship is one that cannot be fixed. Taylor may be able to fix themselves, but this relationship is passed the point of repair.

Devised and written by Adam, Kayla, and Tom