The world premiere of Suzie Miller's new play Strong is the New Pretty at the Brisbane festival arrives at a moment when the AFL faces renewed scrutiny over sexism and misogyny, following sexual assault allegations involving Sydney Swans players. The play, which runs a brisk 80 minutes, tells the story of the AFLW through a lightly fictionalised lens, drawing on real events and figures to deliver both shocking moments and crowd-pleasing comedy.
A shift from courtroom to locker room
Miller, best known for the global success of her sexual assault play Prima Facie, swaps the courtroom for the locker rooms and boardrooms of the AFL in this new production. Her previous works include RBG: Of Many, One, about US supreme court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Inter Alia, starring Rosamund Pike as a judge dealing with sexual assault allegations against her son.
The play is billed as the “untold story” of the AFLW, but readers of sports journalist Samantha Lane's 2018 book Roar will recognise many plot points and key figures. Miller fictionalises these characters: Sam Mostyn, the AFL's first female commissioner, becomes Alison Newtown (Lucy Bell), a lawyer applying courtroom lessons to the AFL. Jan Cooper, the first female football development manager, becomes Jane Hooper (Tara Morice). Bec Goddard, the federal police officer turned Adelaide Crows coach, becomes Bev Heath (Amber McMahon). And Lane becomes Susannah Knowles, a plucky young sports reporter championing the AFLW.
A fairytale with real-world roots
The all-female cast of eight plays these main characters, along with fictionalised Adelaide Crows members and a Greek chorus of male buffoons. The play's five chapters open with the women's experiences of sexism on their path to the AFL, then sweep through the league's formation, including the pivotal 2015 exhibition match—the first televised women's AFL game, which proved its commercial viability. The 2017 first competition match between Collingwood and Carlton passes quickly, with momentum building toward the grand final between the Brisbane Lions and Adelaide Crows.
Most key incidents, including the most outlandish and shocking, are drawn from reality. Yet the story carries a fairytale feel, as a group of virtuous women overcome adversity and cartoonishly sexist men to triumph. Every setback is overcome, from boardroom naysayers to a supermarket checkout attendant who body shames a player. This makes for many fist-pump moments and easy comedy, though the sense of inevitability undercuts dramatic stakes.
Clear themes and dynamic staging
Miller's theses are explicit: women have a uniquely collaborative and subversive model of change-making within hostile systems, and gender equity is a relay passed between generations. Director Sarah Giles delivers a pacy, crowd-pleasing production with the entire cast often on stage together, using heightened, satirical tones, live sound (breathing into mics and body percussion), dance breaks, and physical comedy. McMahon, Amy Ingram, Amy Hack, and Contessa Treffone shine comedically, while Bell and Morice provide emotional weight.
Clemence Williams' soundtrack of clapped and vocalised beats, interlaced with tracks like Pump Up the Jam and Black Betty, and Kelley Abbey's choreography add dynamism. Footy play is evoked in slow-motion sequences with performers manipulating a pole-mounted Sherrin, though no one pretends to have ball skills. The focus stays on human stories.
A victory lap with room to breathe
At 80 minutes, the play could afford more time to explore its complex emotional terrain. Moments like a conversation between two team members (Nyasha Ogden and Edyll Ismail) on racism, sexism, and public shaming, or a scene where a player is body shamed in a supermarket, resonate as powerfully as the comedic ones. The triumphant ending glosses over what change is still needed on pay equity, sexism, and racism in the sport. But Strong is the New Pretty feels like a well-deserved and satisfying victory lap. The play runs at Brisbane festival until 19 September, then Canberra from 24 September to 3 October, Geelong from 8 to 11 October, and Sydney from 22 October to 5 December.
