The Strong Charmion

Recipient of the 2023 Katie Lees Fellowship, playwright Chloe Lethlean Higson premieres an extraordinary new work inspired by history’s untameable strongwomen. 

Sydney, 1921. Rosalie Whitewood is the Charmion – the star spectacle of the Freize Family circus. Fetishised, ostracised and adored for her freakish feats of strength, she performs for sold-out crowds across the country. But when Rosalie is caught between a past love affair and an unforeseen new one, she must grapple for control of her life, identity and desires while vying to stop her stage persona from slipping.

The Strong Charmion is a vibrant exploration of queer and feminine rebellion, and the bodies that defy the labels society imposes on them.

Cast Gabrielle Bowen, Emily Crow, Niky Markovic and Alyssa Peters

Playwright Chloe Lethlean Higson
Director Jess Ramsey
Dramaturg Madeleine Diggins
Dramaturg Harry Winsome
Intimacy Coordinator Rikiah Lizarraga
Set and Costume Design Bella Saltearn
Sound Design and Composition Andy Freeborn
Lighting Designer Catherine Mai
Stage Manager Jemima Owen
Marketing Cam Turnbull
Promotional Photography Clare Hawley

Presented in partnership with Flight Path Theatre, this production has been made possible with the support of the Katie Lees Foundation. 

Please be advised that the production contains the following: coarse language, physical violence and use of fake blood, intimate scenes (kissing and intimate touch), and implicit transphobia. There are also themes of misogyny, body image, gender identity and sexuality, and references to electrotherapy clitoridectomy, pregnancy loss and verbal abuse regarding sexual assault.