Winner of the 2026 FringeReview Outstanding Theatre Award, Reilly O’Shaughnessy talks about her solo play, Belly.
Written and performed by Reilly O’Shaughnessy, “Belly is a one-person play about girls, eating, grief and control. Told through interwoven stories of three women across one family: Ellie, a high-school swimmer groomed into an eating disorder by a well-meaning, incredibly harmful coach; Katie, her pregnant aunt, 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 piece moves between sharp, funny, conversational monologues and scenes and more heightened, poetic sequences.” Reilly talks about the challenging and important content that forms this hour -long solo play. It is autobiographical and uses storytelling, physical theatre and music to tell the story. How did the show come into being and what was the making process? Paul Levy finds out…
