After a sold-out season on London’s West End and set to make its Broadway debut, Suzie Miller’s one-woman play Prima Facie will be presented at the Theatre Royal this April. 

Acclaimed actor Sheridan Harbridge commands the stage as Tessa, a criminal lawyer who loves to win, even when defending clients accused of sexual assault. But when she finds herself on the other side of the bar, Tessa is forced into the shadows of doubt she has so ruthlessly cast over others. 

Prima Facie was inspired by playwright Suzie Miller’s real-life experiences in the courtroom.

“I really wanted to use my position as both an ex-criminal lawyer and a playwright to find that fine line between justice and lack of justice – between victim and perpetrator,” playwright Suzie Miller said.

“I needed to find a way to write about it that was true to the legal system but true to a woman’s experience of sexual assault as well in the court system,” she said.

Prima Facie is an indictment of the Australian legal system’s failure to provide reliable pathways to justice for women. International accolades, as winner of ‘Best New Play’ at the 23rd Annual What’s on Stage Awards in London and recent nomination for Best New Play at the prestigious Olivier Awards, demonstrate the universality of women’s experiences of justice and of Miller’s writing. It’s a work of fiction, but one that could have been ripped from the headlines of any paper, any day of the week. 

“It’s not often that playwrights can bring together everything in their life to make one story. This is Suzie’s,” Prima Facie Director Lee Lewis said.

Part of the Theatre Royal’s 2023 Season, Prima Facie is one of the many productions this year to feature powerful female voices. Theatre Royal CEO Simon Wellington said audiences can expect a diverse line up of strong female voices as part of the 2023 Season.

“These stories are important because they connect with so many people’s experiences in the world right now. And they’re made by artists at the top of their game, pairing gutsy, compelling storytelling with virtuosic performances,” he said.

"I’ve loved Suzie Miller’s writing for years. She has a brilliant mind and a big heart. Her plays are always astonishingly timely, tackling real-world issues with realistic characters. When you see one of Suzie’s plays, you walk out of the theatre a different person than you walked in.”

Prima Facie is a Griffin Theatre Company production and is on show at the Studio Theatre, Theatre Royal from 4 – 6 April as part of a national tour. 

Prima Facie’s Theatre Royal season is supported by Production Partner Fullers Bookshop who have curated a reading list to help audiences connect and deepen their understanding of the issues raised in the play. More information about each of the selected books can be found here.