Suzie Miller’s one-person play Prima Facie debuted in Sydney in 2019 when Lee Lewis directed the world premiere for Griffin Theatre Company, starring Sheridan Harbridge. The play has since had triumphant seasons in London’s West End and on Broadway, starring Jodie Comer as Tessa, a skilled barrister who specialises in defending men accused of sexual assault. But Tessa’s world is turned on its head when she herself is assaulted. Prima Facie now returns to Sydney in a new production, directed by Kate Champion for Black Swan State Theatre Company in 2024, with Sof Forrest as Tessa.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

After taking the West End and Broadway by storm, the award-winning Prima Facie written by Suzie Miller makes its triumphant return to Sydney in Black Swan State Theatre Company’s new production, directed by Kate Champion, starring Sof Forrest.

Tessa is a brilliant and confident criminal defense barrister who thrives in the courtroom. This is shattered when an unexpected event forces her onto the other side of the witness stand where she has to confront the patriarchal power of the law.

Now navigating the system she once championed, Tessa experiences its systemic failings firsthand. The courtroom, where she once wielded power, becomes a site of her tragic disempowerment.

With incisive writing and an emotionally gripping narrative, Prima Facie is a courtroom drama that leaves a lasting impact, challenging theatre audiences to consider the profound need for change in the pursuit of true justice.