Suzie Miller's play *Strong is the New Pretty* about AFLW's formation and its 2026 premiere
Consensus Summary
Suzie Miller’s play *Strong is the New Pretty* dramatizes the seven-year struggle to launch the AFLW, premiering in 2026 during the league’s 11th season. Both the ABC and the Guardian confirm the play’s focus on overcoming sexism and misogyny within the AFL, with the ABC emphasizing the 2017 inaugural season and grand final, while the Guardian highlights a 2015 exhibition match as pivotal. The play fictionalizes real figures like Sam Mostyn and Jan Cooper, blending humor and satire to depict the AFLW’s formation. The ABC notes the play’s ties to Miller’s attendance at the 2017 grand final and under 9s games, while the Guardian links it to recent Sydney Swans scandals and Samantha Lane’s 2018 book. Both sources agree on the play’s 80-minute runtime and its role as a celebratory yet critical reflection on gender equity in sports.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The play *Strong is the New Pretty* premiered at Brisbane Festival in 2026
- The play is based on the seven-year fight to establish the AFLW
- The AFLW's first season began in 2017
- The play features fictionalized versions of key AFLW figures (e.g., Sam Mostyn as Alison Newtown, Jan Cooper as Jane Hooper)
- The play's premiere coincides with the AFLW's 11th season
- The play is an 80-minute production
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The play's premiere is in the fourth round of the AFLW's 11th season
- Ally Anderson, a Brisbane Lions player, won two AFLW premierships, was AFLW's best and fairest, and holds the AFLW games record
- Miller attended an under 9s girls' game in Sydney after writing the play
- The play will tour to Canberra, Geelong, and Sydney
- The AFLW's inaugural grand final was between Brisbane Lions and Adelaide Crows in 2017
- An AFL report in 2010 recommended a professional women's league by 2020
- Miller witnessed the first AFLW grand final on the Gold Coast in 2017
- The play's premiere follows sexual assault allegations involving Sydney Swans players
- The play references Samantha Lane’s 2018 book *Roar* as a key source
- The play includes a pivotal 2015 exhibition match (first televised women’s AFL game)
- The play features a Greek chorus of male buffoons and satirical elements
- The play’s cast includes Lucy Bell as Alison Newtown, Tara Morice as Jane Hooper, and Amber McMahon as Bev Heath
- The play’s soundtrack includes danceable tracks like *Pump Up the Jam* and *Black Betty*
- The play’s director is Sarah Giles, with choreography by Kelley Abbey
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The ABC states the AFLW's first season began in 2017, while the Guardian mentions a 2015 exhibition match as pivotal but does not clarify if it was part of the first season
- The ABC lists 2017 as the year of the AFLW's first grand final, but the Guardian references a 2015 exhibition match as the first televised women’s AFL game, implying an earlier key event
Source Articles
Behind the seven-year fight to get the AFLW off the ground
Suzie Miller's new play is a fictional re-imagining of the true events that led to the formation of the women's league and has made its world premiere.
Strong is the New Pretty review – Suzie Miller’s AFLW play is both shocking and crowd-pleasing
Brisbane festival The world premiere of this lightly fictionalised production by the Prima Facie playwright comes just as the AFL faces a reckoning about sexism and misogyny Suzie Miller is the rare Australian playwright who can open a main stage national touring show without tent-pole casting. Her new play, Strong is the New Pretty, has been highly anticipated since it was announced, coming off the back of the globetrotting success of her sexual assault play Prima Facie and followup hits RBG: O
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