Brisbane Festival has received a significant investment from Creative Australia’s new Creative Futures Fund to produce and present a powerful new Australian work by Suzie Miller, Australia’s most acclaimed contemporary playwright.
Miller’s new play, which will be part of the festival’s 2026 program, dramatises the key obstacles that the AFLW had to overcome to sustain a professional league.
Strong is the New Pretty brings together Brisbane Festival, Trish Wadley Productions and Sydney Theatre Company to produce and present this powerful story by Miller, who now lives in the UK.
The play will be directed by one of Australia’s leading theatre directors, Lee Lewis, with an ensemble cast in multiple roles. Lewis, a former artistic director of Queensland Theatre, directed the Australian productions of Miller’s smash-hit one-woman play Prima Facie, which was staged in Brisbane in 2021 by Queensland Theatre.
A lead character in Miller’s new play is the Governor-General of Australia, Sam Mostyn, a fierce advocate for the AFL Women’s League and was the first woman appointed to the AFL Commission.
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The compelling story explores how a nation transforms a “no” into a resounding “yes”, capturing the rise of women’s professional sport in Australia, with a focus on the creation of the AFL Women’s League, which kicked off in 2017.
The play celebrates the collective power of women uniting for change. It’s a work that examines family dynamics, relationships, the courage to face the unknown and the shifting politics of our time. Through unfettered access to players, reporters, commentators, commissioners, club fans, historians and critical thinkers, Miller interrogates this extraordinary moment in time, exploring every side of the story and what it took to get there.
Brisbane Festival artistic director Louise Bezzina says she leapt at the opportunity to program the work.
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“It was an immediate yes to this project when Trish Wadley first brought it to me,” explains Bezzina. “Strong is the New Pretty is more than a piece of theatre – it’s a powerful story about determination, legacy and pride. Suzie Miller’s writing is bold and evocative, and this production has the potential to spark national conversation. Brisbane Festival has always championed bold new Australian stories, and I’m proud to say this one will take centre stage in our 2026 program.”
Miller describes the play as “a dream of mine”.
“It’s a love letter to an Australia we can be proud of. I’m overjoyed we can tour it all over the country. Strong is the New Pretty is a galvanising story of the Australian commitment to a ‘fair go’, and a reminder that it must include all Australians. We hope the play inspires young women and men, of all backgrounds, to go forward and fight for equality and fairness in all that matters.”
Drone storytelling above desert skies, older Australians strutting catwalks and puppets from the Pilbara roaming our capital cities are among other highlights of a significant new investment program from Creative Australia.
The Creative Futures Fund supports extraordinary works that push boundaries and bring distinctly Australian stories to audiences across Australia and around the world. It will invest $7.8 million this year to support 20 ambitious, large-scale creative projects, spanning every state and territory.
An initiative of the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy, Revive, the Creative Futures Fund supports the creation and sharing of Australian stories and new ways for people to engage with them.
Say executive director arts investment Alice Nash: “This is an investment in imagination. It will support the telling of unique Australian stories that cross generations, industries and borders, while remaining deeply local.”
creative.gov.au/investments-opportunities/creative-futures-fund