Belly: An American Love Story at Black Box Theater, James J. Maloney Hall – New Britain, CT

Belly: An American Love Story shares women’s experiences past, present and future. It is an intergenerational voyage of Black woman/motherhood that transpires through the mediums of word, song and dance and based on research and ethnographic interviews conducted by Dr. Haile Eshe Cole with Black women in Texas. Inspired by Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls”, the work is written for a small, six member cast and is structured as a choreopoem in three parts. It begins by looking back at the histories and context of Black women’s reproduction as experienced through the transatlantic slave trade. It continues by exploring intersecting themes such as pregnancy and birth, maternal health disparities, loss and various other facets–both good and challenging–of Black women/mother’s experiences. Finally, it focuses on ideas of liberation and justice as the characters dream radically about the future and world that they would like to see for themselves, their families, and communities. In the end, the central theme arising from the work is love. While it highlights the complicated histories and current challenges experienced by Black women/mothers in the United States, it also centers the legacies of love, care work, support and resistance employed in order to survive.

Writer and Producer: Dr. Haile Eshe Cole

Associate Producer: Nicole Young-Martin

Director: Jalissa Fulton

Cast: Jan Andree, Stephanie Anuwe, Rae Janeil, Aziza John, Brianna Johnson, and Aamahri Nicholson

Run time: 90 minutes

For more information, check out the show website.

PERFORMANCE DATES:

8/1 Friday, 7pm | Opening Night | Opening Reception

8/2 Saturday, 2pm | Matinee Show

8/2 Saturday, 7pm | Evening Show

8/3 Sunday, 4pm | Closing Matinee | Post-Show “Tea and Talkback” with Playwright Dr. Haile Eshe Cole, Director Jalissa Fulton and cast. Conversation moderated by writer, poet and Associate Producer Nicole Young-Martin (1 hr)

** Free parking available in the Welte Garage on Ella Degrasso Blvd. next to Maloney Hall.