Strong is the New Pretty |

Images: Morgan Roberts

‘I kick for the goal!’

Sitting in the dark at QPAC Playhouse, watching a stage crackle with the fierce, unfiltered energy of women, hits me deeply how we get to see girls just take up space so unapologetically. Strong is The New Pretty is a compelling piece of theatre that captures what happens when the old rulebook is tossed out the window. It strips away decades of outdated expectations, trading quiet compliance for the roar of teamwork, resilience, and the sheer joy of finding your own power—proving that true beauty comes from strength.

Written by Australian playwright Suzie Miller and directed by Sarah Giles, the 80 minute production is split into five chapters, grounding its physical and artistic performance in actual history. The narration tackles the characters’ shared experiences of systemic sexism and traditional female roles, tracing the uphill battle of getting women’s footy on the map and the path to forming the Australian Football League Women’s (AFLW) Leagure.

Director Sarah Giles brings the story to life through a unique stylised physical vocabulary. The staging at times features a primary trio lined up horizontally, facing the audience and taking turns narrating the story while the rest of the cast line up in the background, chiming in with quiet vocal sounds or executing sharp physical movement. Between chapters, cool upbeat dance numbers burst out under striking, colourful lighting to lighten the mood. My absolute favourite creative choice was the use of dramatic slow-motion sequences for kicking the football during significant scenes. By pairing these heightened physical moments with descriptive voiceovers detailing the characters' thoughts, the production created a vivid sense of reality for me without ever needing a field. It put me right on the turf, making every single movement feel as heavy and urgent as a live game unfolding right in front of me.

Images: Morgan Roberts

Beyond the pacing and physical choreography, the show’s design choices mirrored its subject matter in a really clever way. At the start of each chapter, a projector hanging above the stage flashed the chapter’s names, framing the journey like quarters of a game. As the narrative progressed and the push to form the league gained real traction, that projector dropped down to the ground, while the cast utilised the tiered staging behind to rise into action. I thought it created a brilliant physical parallel to the story itself- as the movement grew in success and power, the staging literally climbed higher, making the rise to success feel tangible and earned.

I’ll be honest, as the curtain closed I was fighting back a quiet wave of emotion. Not from sadness, but a massive rush of adrenaline, pride, and raw energy. The emotional core of ‘Strong Is The New Pretty’ hit me right in the chest, driven by passion, vulnerability, strength, and team spirit. As a female athlete (cheerleading) myself, having spent weeks grinding through gruelling trainings and competitions, watching that group of girls fight their way from the impossible into a united force crushing a common goal - training, clashing, pushing all the way to the finals-just totally clicked for me. I know that exact feeling in my bones, and that's probably why it landed so hard.

At its heart, the message cut straight to the truth: real beauty doesn’t come from a certain clothing size or conforming to expectations; it comes from authenticity and confidence. There is something incredibly powerful about witnessing women's representation in sports and finding a true sense of belonging in a community. But the show isn’t just for people with a sporting background. Whether you’re a die-hard footy fan, a coach, or simply anyone looking for a brilliant night out, Strong is the New Pretty is for you. It’s an eye-opening look at the grit and history behind the AFLW, reminding us of the work society still needs to do, and why a story like this deserves wider awareness. Hearing the room cheer as one and seeing the whole crowd leap to their feet at the end proved just how universally that resilience resonates. You absolutely must see it for yourself to feel that energy firsthand.

Strong is The New Pretty plays 1-19 September 2026 at the Playhouse, QPAC as part of the 2026 Brisbane Festival.

Images: Morgan Roberts