HER DOWNSTAIRS Laughs Fibroids Out Of The Shadows And Into The Spotlight

About 20 percent to 80 percent of women develop fibroids by the time they reach age 50, yet little is known about them. A British actor/writer in NYC is raising awareness about the health of our lady bits and encouraging us to laugh while we learn.

Her Downstairs is a one-woman play written and performed by award-winning actor and filmmaker, Sherill Turner. "Her Downstairs is very much inspired by me having open myomectomy surgery in 2018 to remove fibroids from my uterus, but I wrote it as a work of fiction because I meet women every day who are suffering with symptomatic fibroids and I wanted to include several women's experiences in the piece," said Sherill.

Her Downstairs tells the story of Becs Hadley, a thirty-seven year old, who is so uncomfortable naming her female anatomy that she refers to her genitalia as her "downstairs". We follow Becs's journey of symptoms, diagnosis, surgery and recovery, getting an inside view of what it's like to experience the intense pain, heavy bleeding and emotional strain of living with uterine fibroids. However, Her Downstairs is a comedy because, as Sherill says, "I believe that humor can be a wonderful way to foster empathy and to create a relaxed space for an honest conversation about sensitive subjects."

Her Downstairs is part of United Solo Theatre Festival and will be performed on Thursday 14th November at 7.30pm at Theatre Row, 410 W 42nd St, NYC. Tickets are on sale at unitedsolo.org/us/2019-herdownstairs/ and also at the Theatre Row box office.