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| The cast of "Strong is the New Pretty" |
Written by Suzie Miller – Directed by Sarah Giles
Designed by Christina Smith – Lighting Designed by Paul
Jackson
Composed by Clemence Williams – Sound Design by Brady
Watkins
Video Design by Craig Wilkinson – Movement Director: Kelley
Abbey
Canberra Theatre Centre Playhouse - September 24- 26, 2026.
Performance on 26th September reviewed by BILL
STEPHENS
It must have been a daunting challenge for Suzie Miller to work
out how to encapsulate the story of the creation of the AFLW from the first
idea in 1993 until brought to fruition in 2017.
So many personalities, so many setbacks, so many unlikely triumphs.
Whatever the challenges, her efforts are now onstage under
the title Strong Is the New Pretty in an imaginative production for
which the visuals are as striking as the words.
On entering the theatre, the audience is met by a bare stage
on which sits a spotlit Sherrin Football, the significance of which is revealed
as the play progresses. Surrounding the
football are banks of spotlights - designers Christina Smith (sets &
costumes), Paul Jackson (lighting) and Craig Wilkinson (video) have plenty of
tricks up their sleeves waiting to be unleashed.
So has director Sarah Giles, who calls on every one of
them. She also enlisted Kelley Abbey (Movement direction), and Brady Watkins
(Sound) to bring their skills to the table to ensure the success of her
imaginative staging concepts.
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| "Strong is the New Pretty" |
With a few exceptions, Miller has changed the names of the major players in her saga, but those who have followed the team will have little problem inserting the real names.
For the main part, Miller’s dialogue is declamatory, addressing the audience directly, with little emotional connection between the characters. Dates, statistics and relevant information is flashed up on screens behind the actors.
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| The cast of "Strong is the New Pretty" |
Eight actors make up the ensemble cast. There are no star parts, but between them, Lucy Bell, Edyll, Amy Hack, Amy Ingram, Amber McMahon, Tara Morice, Nyasha Ogden and Contessa Trefonne, share significant characters, recreate historic moments, even matches, utilising Kelly Abbey’s resourceful movement ideas embracing puppetry, a little Broadway dance, and a dash of burlesque, together with the terrific sound design by Brady Watkins who augments Clement Williams composing with crowd noises, breathing, chuckles and snorts to add to the immediacy of the story-telling.
The end result is an engaging, inventive and thoroughly absorbing
history lesson which may have been even more entertaining had it not been so
didactic and intent on being inspirational.
Photos by Morgan Roberts
This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW.
