Archaeologist and comedian KC Martin-Stone is heading back to Adelaide Fringe with a story of a neurodivergent, brilliant, bruised brain in Have You Tried Brain Surgery?

Taking her audience through the history of brain surgery and Western medicine, through an obstacle course of well-wishers and wellness influencers, KC tells the story of her a battle for treatment for an unknown condition.

“It’s a standup comedy about my experience with chronic illness, before it became all the rage. I talk about my brain a lot, because my scans prove I have one, but sometimes I wondered if I’d lost it completely when I got sick,” she says.

“I had an accident five years ago and got misdiagnosed with constant migraine (yes, a five-year migraine). For the past year or so I’ve been battling against toxic positivity and the limitations of ten-minute medicine to figure out what’s wrong with me. I’ve had to use my professional skills as an archaeologist to work it out – understanding things retrospectively, through tiny clues. And it turns out, laughter isn’t always the best medicine!”

Following on from the success of Chase The Fun Stuff (2018), I See Dead People (2020) and A History of Hanky Panky (2021), KC’s fourth solo show is perfect for anyone who loves good stories and laughing.

“Generally, the kind of people who like my shows are people who love fascinating conversations. They love to think, they love to laugh, they’re curious about weird stuff. It works equally well for a thought provoking date night, something for water cooler chats with colleagues, or even people flying solo who just want to let their mind turn over some big or little questions,” KC says. “But I think this year, Have You Tried Brain Surgery?? will especially appeal to people who are adapting to chronic illness, or who love someone who is. It’s not sad! It deals with some heavy stuff, sure. But ultimately it’s about surviving with a smile on your face.”

Told with KC’s trademark irreverence and insatiable curiosity, the show is set to ask and answer questions, as well as give you some well-deserved laughs.

“I think my show is surprising, in a lot of ways,” she says. “I’m an archaeologist, so I always look at the history of things – how did we end up with Western medicine? Are there better ways of caring for people who don’t have straightforward medical conditions? I look at the ways people try to help, especially those wellness influencer quotes like ‘just think positive!’ and ‘have you tried yoga?’ And I tell the story of how I had to take my bruised and battered ADHD brain and step outside those accepted ways of thinking – and when I did, I discovered that I have a rare condition that can be treated. It’s a bit of a saga, with some shocking or dark moments, but ultimately it’s about having the ability to laugh at it all and find a way through.”

KC is performing at The Piglet at Gluttony until 5 March at 7:05pm and you can grab ticket HERE