BELLY Will Make World Premiere at 59E59 and Edinburgh

Reilly O'Shaughnessy's BELLY, directed by Juliet Kapanjie, will make its world premiere this summer. BELLY will play a three-performance run at 59E59 (59 East 59th Street, NYC) July 22, 24 & 25 before heading to the Sprout Theater (Greenside @ George Street), Edinburgh in August. 

BELLY is a one-person play about womanhood across three generations of, eating, grief, and control. Told through an interwoven stories of three women across one family: Ellie, a high-school swimmer groomed into an eating disorder by a well-meaning, yet incredibly harmful coach; Katie, her pregnant aunt, who is trying to “do everything right” for her baby inside of wellness culture and medical fatphobia; and Susan, Katie's mother, newly widowed and learning how to live with grief and appetite in an empty house. Performed by a single actor, the show's writer, Reilly O'Shaughnessy, the piece moves between sharp, funny, conversational monologues and scenes and more heightened, poetic sequences.

“I wrote Belly because I wanted to tell the truth about what it means to grow up in a body under constant surveillance — by yourself, by other people, by the world around you,” comments O'Shaughnessy. “Having experienced an eating disorder myself, I know how isolating those thoughts can feel, but also how frighteningly common they are. I wanted to create something that feels both deeply personal and painfully communal; a show that captures the quiet negotiations, shame, and humor tied up in our relationships with our bodies, and asks why so many of us learn to measure our worth through them.” 

The production stars Reilly O'Shaughnessy (BFA Drama NYU Tisch, MA Int. Theater Rose Bruford, MFA Acting DePaul) as Ellie, Katie, and Susan.

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best New Play - Top 3

1. Liberation

28% of votes

2. Giant

16.7% of votes

3. Dog Day Afternoon

15.8% of votes

Vote Now! View Live Stats