Prima Facie (NHB Modern Plays)

Tessa is a young, brilliant barrister. She has worked her way up from working-class origins to the top of her game: defending, cross-examining and winning.But an unexpected event forces her to confront the patriarchal power of the law, where the burden of proof and morality diverge.Prima Facie by Suzie Miller is an award-winning play for a solo actor, taking us deep into a world where emotion and integrity are in conflict with the rules of the game.After several acclaimed productions in Australia and winning the Australian Writers' Guild Award for Drama, the play received its European premiere at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London's West End in April 2022. It starred Jodie Comer, the Emmy and Bafta Award-winning star of TV's Killing Eve, making her West End debut.

Winner of Best New Play, Olivier Awards 2023 Winner of Best New Play, WhatsOnStage Awards 2023

“"A play that roars... urgent and powerful." --Guardian "A searing, intense indictment of the ways the legal system perpetuates the patriarchal order that has created it in the first place... The relevance of this unsettling drama for our present moment of #MeToo is obvious... joins the ranks of such works as Michaela Coel's I May Destroy You and Nina Raine's Consent... What we come to know is certainly disturbing, but, as in all great theatre, it strikes one as a true privilege to have made the journey." --The Arts Desk "An unforgettable moment of theatre." --WhatsOnStage "An outstanding piece of theatre that has a phenomenal impact." --Reviews Hub "A damning portrait of justice denied women... teems with rich nuance, testing sympathies... like a punch to the guts." --Telegraph "Suzie Miller's script is shrewd and economical in its analysis of how the system treats assault survivors... timely and timeless." --Evening Standard "A striking drama... Suzie Miller's text is pacy and punchy." --Independent "An impassioned play about an important subject... blazing." --Time Out (London) "A polemical monologue which makes its point in style... the cumulative effect is quite something." --The Times "Hugely succesful and hard-hitting... What makes this play especially astonishing is how lived-in its writing feels. Miller's background as a lawyer shines in every line of dialogue... an urgent and compelling work." --Time Out (Sydney) "A relevant and deeply disturbing indictment of how our legal system routinely fails sexual assault victims... A seriously important work." --Arts Hub (Australia)”

A damning portrait of justice denied women… teems with rich nuance, testing sympathies… like a punch to the guts. --Telegraph; Suzie Miller's play is an outstanding piece of theatre that has a phenomenal impact. --Reviews Hub; An impassioned play about an important subject... blazing. --Time Out; Suzie Miller’s script is shrewd and economical in its analysis of how the system treats assault survivors... timely and timeless. -- Evening Standard; A Striking drama... Suzie Miller's text is pacy and punchy. --Independent; A polemical monologue that makes its point in style.... the cumulative effect is quite something. --The Times; A searing, intense indictment of the ways the legal system perpetuates the patriarchal order that has created it in the first place… The relevance of this unsettling drama for our present moment of #MeToo is obvious… joins the ranks of such works as Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You and Nina Raine’s Consent… What we come to know is certainly disturbing, but, as in all great theatre, it strikes one as a true privilege to have made the journey --The Arts Desk

Suzie Miller is an Australian-British playwright, librettist and screenwriter. Her plays include Prima Facie, which was premiered in Australia in 2019, and had its UK premiere in the West End in 2022.

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