Winner of the 2018 Griffin Award, Prima Facie is an indictment of the Australian legal system’s failure to provide reliable pathways to justice for women in rape, sexual assault or harassment cases.
It’s a work of fiction, but one that could have been ripped from the headlines of any paper, any day of the week.
Drawing on her experience as a lawyer, Suzie Miller’s (Sunset Strip, Caress/Ache) play centres around Tessa, a talented criminal lawyer with a steadfast belief in the structure and safety provided by the law.
But when Tessa finds herself on the other side of the bar, facing her own legal strategies, the reality of what the process is like for the victims forces her to reassess what justice truly is.
In a system built by men, operated by men, inclined to distrust women, does the truth even matter?
Turning Sydney’s courts of law into a different kind of stage, Miller’s taut, rapid-fire show exposes the shortcomings of a patriarchal justice system where it’s her word against his.
Lee Lewis directs. Sheridan Harbridge stars.
