New play tells the AFLW's fight against 'never happened before' dismissals
Suzie Miller's new play traces the AFLW's journey from World War I to the 2017 grand final, opening at Canberra Theatre.
Strong Is The New Pretty opens at Canberra Theatre. The play tells the lightly fictionalized story of how the AFLW came to be.
Playwright Suzie Miller, known for legal dramas Prima Facie and RBG: Of Many, One, moves from courtroom to locker room for this account. Director Sarah Giles uses eight actors to show multiple storylines across five central characters.
The story traces women's football from World War I through the first competition match in 2017 and the grand final between Brisbane Lions and Adelaide Crows. The cast includes Tara Morice and Lucy Bell, who plays an earlier version of Governor-General Sam Mostyn, a former AFL commissioner and key advocate for establishing the league.
Giles called it a love letter to Australian women that shows how people working inside and outside systems can make change happen. It fights prejudice that says that's never been done, so it won't work.
- Suzie Miller
- Playwright
- Sarah Giles
- Director
- 8
- Actors on stage
- Canberra Theatre
- Venue
Why it mattersThe play shows how structural change actually happens, offering lessons for anyone fighting to overturn it's never been done obstacles.
AustraliaAustralian audiences get a theatre account of a homegrown sports revolution that transformed opportunities for women athletes.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 1 d ago
