Celebrating and commiserating the one in nine people with chronic, incurable menstrual condition endometriosis, Libby Trainor Parker and her band, The Jarmy Army are heading to the Hills for the long weekend.
Following a sell-out run of shows at Adelaide Fringe in 2020, 2021 and 2022, Endo Days, the winner of Best Cabaret Weekly Award 2021, is spreading the word about endo through a bunch of hilarious original songs and stories.
Developed by the team at Expressions Media, Endo Days is a Hey Boss show that began life as a 2020 Fringe show at Vault 134.
“It takes an average of seven years to be diagnosed with endometriosis, but it took 22 years for me. I was misdiagnosed with several mental illness rather than this chronic pain condition for a huge portion of my life. When I finally found out the symptoms weren’t in my head, I dedicated my life to educating people about endo so they could live a better quality of life,” Endo Days writer and performer Libby Trainor Parker says.
“With my husband, musician Matthew Trainor, we have written original songs to inform and entertain people about their condition. We’ve reached so many people in such a positive way with this show, which tells my own story of my endo journey and leaves plenty of room for others to share theirs. It’s a singing support group!”
For the past three years, the show that has empowered and educated patients, partners, parents and people has done as much for Libby as it has done for audiences.
“It gives me so much joy to know that people who felt like they were isolated in this illness have found a connection to the information and humour in the show. We talk about everything from period pain to painful sex, and share stories of infertility, pregnancy loss, and misdiagnosis, but it’s all done through a healthy dose of humour and uses the information I have learned through working with the Australian Coalition for Endometriosis, Imagendo, National Endometriosis Clinical and Scientific Trials, Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia, and through writing schools program, PPEP Talk (Periods, Pain and Endometriosis Program),” Libby says.
Performing at The Parlour at Lobethal on Sat 23 April at 8.15pm, GET TICKETS HERE for your prescription of pelvic pain related humour and a little bit of bad burlesque.
“If only public health education campaigns were this good. ****1/2” – The Advertiser
“If you have endometriosis, suspect you may have been misdiagnosed, care about someone with endometriosis, or simply want to learn and be entertained at the same time, you must see this show. Head to Gluttony and catch it before the end of the Fringe. Wear your good PJs.” ***** Glam Adelaide
“I laughed, I cried, I cried with laughter and most of all I learnt how to be a better supporter to my own Endo Friendos. A must see for anyone with a uterus or knows someone with a uterus.” ***** Kids in Adelaide
“I have never felt so seen… From the bottom of my heart thank you for being so real and so vulnerable and so damn funny.” – Audience member and endo patient
“Endo Days is more than an evening of charming chronic illness comedy. It is a lifeline of advocacy for people struggling to manage their symptoms. If you or someone you know has endometriosis, this is the Fringe show you should be attending – not just for the laughs, but for the solidarity of knowing there are other people out there who share your experiences. – **** Radio Adelaide
★★★★ “… raucous adventure on chronic illness. The band is great, the songs are catchy, the themes are important, the message is powerful, and the lap dances on various chairs and audience members are outstanding. Libby is smart, witty, sexy, vulnerable, cute, honest—the most charismatic host you could ask for on a musical learning journey about real pain—and real love, resilience and humour in the face of it.” – **** Mindshare
“Libby Trainor Parker, a festival weekly award winner, highlights the reality of comfy pyjamas, wheat bags and suppositories for women living with endo. She swiftly earns the trust of her audience: they willingly name misdiagnoses they have endured, offer up pieces of demoralising unsolicited advice they have received, and join in endo-themed songs including I See Red and All the Endo Ladies.”- The Guardian
“Chronic illness really does make you feel alone in various ways — like you’re the only one going through it, secretly and desperately trying anything you can to make yourself feel better — so shows like [Endo Days] that speak openly, honestly, and sometimes brutally about it all, are groundbreaking and have the ability to change lives.” – Junkee
