Talk of the Town - Levelling the Playing Field

Commonly considered diametrically opposed, the disciplines of art and sport are flung together in Suzie Miller's Strong is the New Pretty and Windmill Production Company's Mama Does Derby. 

We are living in a time where some people believe that the sports unite us, while the arts divide us (Financial Review, Feb 2026). Yet, upon closer inspection, there are many parallels between the two - from training schedules to rehearsal periods, from production teams to peer support networks, from sporting arenas to theatre spaces. But what happens when art and sport collide?

What does it take to endure, to perform, and to be seen on your own terms? What parallels exist between the discipline of the athlete and the artist? And what happens next? How do theatre and live performance move beyond the fight for survival into spectacle, scale, and commercial momentum, without losing heart? 

Facilitated by Victoria Carthew and bringing together festival artists including Amy Ingram ( Strong is the New Pretty) and Clare Watson ( Mama Dies Derby), this conversation explores the intersection of athleticism, storytelling, and identity.