Strong is the New Pretty Show Program

1–19 Sep

STRONG IS THE NEW PRETTY FROM CELEBRATED AUSTRALIAN PLAYWRIGHT SUZIE MILLER

It’s not just about a sport.

It’s about a revolution.

World Premiere Theatre

The Untold Story of the AFLW Before the first bounce.

Before the packed crowds.

Before history was made, there were the women who refused to give up.

From celebrated Australian playwright Suzie Miller, creator of the international smash hit Prima Facie and acclaimed works including RBG: Of Many, One and Inter Alia, comes a powerful new play inspired by the rise of the AFLW. With warmth, humour and heart, this world premiere celebrates the people who dared to imagine something bigger and the movement that changed football forever.

Whether you’ve followed AFLW since day one, remember the decades before it existed, or simply love a great story of courage and community, this is one match you won’t want to miss.

Directed by multi-award-winning director Sarah Giles, an all-star ensemble featuring Lucy Bell, Amy Hack, Amy Ingram, Edyll, Amber McMahon, Tara Morice, Nyasha Ogden and Contessa Treffone takes to the field in this powerful world premiere.

DURATION 80min (no interval)

ACCESSIBILITY Auslan Interpreted Performance 7:30pm, Fri 11 Sep Tactile Tour 12:30pm, Sat 19 Sep Audio Described Performance 2pm, Sat 19 Sep

CONTENT WARNING

Production contains strong language, mature themes, theatrical haze, complete theatrical blackout, and flashing and strobe lighting effects.

Recommended for ages 12+.

This play is a fictional imagining by the playwright of true events. It combines fiction with references to true events and inspiration from interviews and other sources, and reflects the honestly held opinions of the playwright. The play is not endorsed by anyone who developed or played in the AFLW or the AFL, and neither the AFL nor any individual team have sponsored, approved, or been affiliated with the development of this play, nor had any artistic input into the play or production.

Writer’s Note Strong is first and foremost my theatrical love letter to the grit and determination of Australian women.

While 2017 marked the inaugural league of AFLW, women have been playing and advocating for women to play for years.

These initial players, and those who supported them found ways for women to play. Through this lens of AFL football, I have been able to show how women work together to effect real change. How through the obstacles, the barriers, the silence and the existing social paradigms, they forge together and imagine the seemingly impossible into being.

The AFLW is a microcosm of how women come to share a space they were previously excluded from.

Any generational change, in any field, takes MANY women working together, often with completely different skillsets. The AFLW is just one of the changes, but a wonderful visible and vibrant example it is. Through Australian grit, passion and determination something had been created that didn’t exist in that space before. A ‘fair go’ in action.

I thank all Australian women still involved in the ongoing relay of women imagining things into existence; I thank the men who ‘see’ and want the same for their daughters, sisters, partners and friends.

SUZIE MILLER WRITER

The Team Writer

Suzie Miller

Director

Sarah Giles

Cast Lucy Bell

Edyll

Amy Hack

Amy Ingram

Amber McMahon

Tara Morice

Nyasha Ogden

Contessa Treffone

Creatives Designer

Christina Smith

Lighting Designer

Paul Jackson

Composer

Clemence Williams

Sound Designer

Brady Watkins

Video Designer

Craig Wilkinson

Movement Director

Kelley Abbey

Dramaturg

Jonathan Ware

Assistant Director

Julia Robertson

Voice and Text Director

Charmian Gradwell

Lighting Associate

Matthew Erren

Intimacy Coordinator

Chloë Dallimore

Safety Coordinator

Diego Retamales

Credits Script Advisor

Ross Mueller

AFLW/AFL Consultant

Michelle Morgan

Rehearsal Photographer

Daniel Boud

Production Staff Production Manager – Build

Julia Orlando

Production Manager – Tour

Aiden Brennan

Costume Coordinator

Sam Perkins

Lighting Supervisor

Tim McNaught

Lighting Programmer

Corinne Fish

Props Supervisor

Jason Lowe

Set Construction Manager

Boaz Shemesh

Sound Supervisor

Ben Andrews

Staging Supervisor

Florian Simonin

Video Supervisor – Brisbane

Rose Mulcare

Video Supervisor

Thomas Bensley

Company Manager

Kathryn Czornij

Stage Manager

Stephanie Storr

Assistant Stage Manager

Zoe Davis

Backstage Wardrobe Supervisor

Chris Harris

Dresser

Zoe Lawson

Wardrobe Day Maintenance – Sydney

Hazel Fisher

Sound Operator

Madalyn Henly

Video Technician – Brisbane, Canberra and Geelong

Louie Duloy

Video Technician – Sydney

Thomas Bensley

Cover Photo

Holly Ward and Maeve O’Flanagan

A big strong thank you to Adam Cohen, Amy Anderton, Annalyssia Giardina, Anne Joseph, April Murdoch, Bec Goddard, Catherine Malouf, Chris Michaels, Corinne Rooney, Danielle Smith, Dominique Ogilvie, Emma Moore, Georgie Black, James Ellender, Jan Cooper OAM, Jessica Jenen, Jessica Wulf, Josie Fielding, Julia Chiera, Kate Howitt, Lee Lewis, Libby Graham, Linda Rubin, Lisa Kyle, Louise Bezzina, Lulu Pullar, Megan Waide, Michelle Barry, Michelle Cooling, Min Collie-Holmes, Natalie Fagg, Nathan Guy, Samantha McLaughlin, Tilly Werner, Wendy Marshall and Glebe Greyhounds.

About the Artists Suzie Miller Writer

Suzie Miller is an international playwright, screenwriter and novelist with degrees in law and science. Suzie’s plays have been produced in over a hundred productions around the world and won multiple prestigious awards.

Prima Facie, starring Sheridan Harbridge and directed by Lee Lewis won numerous Australian theatre awards with the UK and Broadway productions, starring Jodie Comer and directed by Justin Martin, nominated for 5 Olivier Awards winning Best New Play and Best Actress; and nominated for 4 Tony Awards, winning Best Actress.

Translated into over 30 languages, produced in over 50 countries and published as a novel in over 13 territories, Prima Facie is also a feature film starring Cynthia Erivo.

Sarah Giles Director

Sarah is a multiple award-winning director and dramaturg working across theatre, opera and film. A Resident Director at Sydney Theatre Company in 2013 and the Richard Wherrett Fellow in 2011, she has directed over 25 productions for companies including Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse Theatre, Griffin Theatre, Opera Queensland, West Australian Opera and Opera Australia.

Credits include The Importance of Being Earnest, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, No Pay? No Way!, La Traviata, Rusalka and Lorelei. Her short film Writers In Love won Best Short Film at the 2026 St Kilda Film Festival.

RBG: Of Many, One produced by Sydney Theatre Company, starring Heather Mitchell, toured for 4 years around Australia and NZ. Inter Alia starring Rosamund Pike premiered at the National Theatre London transferring to the West End and winning the 2026 Olivier Award for Best Actress.

Other play credits include: Jailbaby; Anna K; Caress/Ache; Sunset Strip; Dust; Sold; The Mathematics of Longing; A Feminist Medea; Reasonable Doubt; Driving into Walls and Cross Sections.

Miller is currently under commission for several new plays in London, New York and Australia, alongside major film and TV productions.

Further Reading Educational and School resources supporting this production can be found on the Brisbane Festival website. brisbanefestival.com.au/schools

Acknowledgements

A Brisbane Festival, Sydney Theatre Company, and Trish Wadley Productions co-production, originally commissioned by Trish Wadley Productions.

Presented by Brisbane Festival This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advocacy body.

This presentation is supported by Queensland Theatre.

Brisbane Festival’s vision for reconciliation and healing is to meaningfully engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and communities in ways that acknowledge shared histories and look to the future and embrace, grow respect for, and celebrate the culture of our First Nations peoples.

Brisbane Festival Team

Ebony Bott

Artistic Director

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr Jane Wilson AO Philip Bacon AO Kim Challenor Andrew King Mirusia Louwerse Amanda Newbery Jonathan Perry Sophie Robertson Graeme Wikman

LEADERSHIP TEAM Michael Adams Bella Ford Claire Hooper Tim Pack Justine Robins

DEVELOPMENT Lyndsey Black

Xandy Blue Jared Cameron Jodie Gordon Warrick McDonald

FINANCE

Rhoisin Elwell-Sutton Lorelle Edwards

Charlie Cush

Chief Executive Officer

Chair Deputy Chair

Emily Barclay Persephone Hitzke-Dean Sasha Iwanick Sabrina Ryan Ella Winten

Aunty Bridget Garay Aunty Raelene Rallah-Baker Ben Graetz Danielle Ah Boo Luke Peacock Sharnee Hegarty

Chief Impact Officer Program Director Chief Financial Officer / Company Secretary Technical Director Administration Manager

Development Coordinator – Philanthropy Development Administrator Development Coordinator Development Manager – Philanthropy Development Manager – Partnerships

Financial Accountant Finance Assistant

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS Nadia Jade Okorn Mark Sutton Lucy Andrews

INDIGENOUS ADVISORY GROUP

Marketing Manager Brand and Content Manager Marketing Officer – Media & Comms Ticketing Lead Ticketing and CRM Manager Marketing Officer – Content & Engagement Brand Coordinator Marketing Officer – Digital Lead

Chair; Kemer Kemer Meriam Nation Yuggera, Birri, Girramay Nations Malak Malak, Kungarakan, Muran Clan, and Torres Strait Islands Samsep, Dhoeybaw, Maluligal, Kulkalgal Samsep/Meriam Gunggari, Wulkurukaba

PROGRAMMING Stefan Greder Sanja Simić Adeline Shaddick Renee Place Michelle Morgan Consultant Genevieve Trace Darcy Boyd

TECHNICAL Richard Clarke Andrew Haden Henry Manning

Senior Producer Creative Producer Associate Producer Education Consultant Community Engagement Program Manager Production Coordinator

Production Manager Technical Manager Technical Coordinator

GIVING COMMITTEE

The Honourable Justice Thomas Bradley Courtney Talbot Philip Bacon AO Andrew Baker Heidi Cooper Anna Palmer Prue Pateras Paul Taylor AM Dr Jane Wilson AO

NEXT GEN GIVING COMMITTEE Ashleigh Mansfield Alissa Bermingham Xanthe Lowe-Brown Bianca Wylie Phoebe Zavros

Chair

Chair Deputy Chair

Sydney Theatre Company BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ann Johnson David Craig Anita Belgiorno-Nettis AM Brooke Boney Mitchell Butel Sarah Constable Mark Coulter Anne Dunn Sam Meers AO Heather Mitchell AM Kate Mulvany OAM David Paradice AO Annette Shun Wah Rosie Williams

Chair Deputy Chair

SENIOR EXECUTIVE TEAM Mitchell Butel Anne Dunn Helene Fox

Danielle Heidbrink Andrew Mackonis Bettina Sammut Penny Scaiff Caroline Spence Ben White Sophie Withers

Artistic Director & Co-CEO Executive Director & Co-CEO Head of Public Relations & Communications Chief External Relations Officer Director, Technical & Production Director, People & Safety Director, Finance & Governance Chief Operating Officer Senior Producer Director, Marketing

Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) CHAIR

Ian Walker

TRUST MEMBERS Leanne Coddington Dr Sophie Galaise Rebecca Pini Susan Rix AM Patrice Scott

CHIEF EXECUTIVE Rachel Healy

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Queensland Performing Arts Trust is a statutory body of the State of Queensland and is partially funded by the Queensland Government.

The Honourable John-Paul Langbroek MP Minister for Education and the Arts Sharon Schimming Director-General, Department of Education

QPAC rests on the lands of the Yuggera and Turrbal peoples. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this country and recognise their rich cultural heritage and enduring connection to the land, waters, and skies.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are this country’s original storytellers, and it is our privilege to continue to share stories and be a place of gathering on this land that has been a meeting place for millennia.

Thank you to all our donors for their generous support of the QPAC Foundation, which enables us to reach beyond the stage and bring a sense of belonging, community engagement, and joy to all Queenslanders.

To find out more about the QPAC Foundation and how you might support its work please email philanthropy@qpac.com.au.

We give heartfelt thanks to QPAC’s Principal Partners Hyundai and MinterEllison and we acknowledge the valued support of all our corporate partners who help make our work possible.

brisbanefestival.com.au