A NORPA PRODUCTION

Written by Suzie Miller
Directed by Heather Fairbairn

 

A NOTE FROM NORPA’S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie is a seismic work of theatre—a play that doesn’t just tell a story but interrogates the very structures we’ve built around justice, truth, and belief. It asks us to sit with uncomfortable questions: What happens when the rules you’ve mastered are turned against you? When does the law serve justice, and when does it serve only its own system?

This is a play about transformation. We watch Tessa’s certainty and brilliance shatter and see her rebuild herself, piece by painful piece, into someone who can no longer look away from what the system does to those it claims to protect. Suzie has crafted something rare: a courtroom drama that is also a psychological excavation, a legal thriller that becomes a rallying cry.

At NORPA, we’re committed to bringing audiences theatre that challenges, provokes, and connects us to the urgent conversations of our time.

Prima Facie does exactly that. This is not comfortable viewing—it shouldn’t be. But it is essential viewing. As our first Village Touring show we are setting the bar high – looking to share our version of this play with audiences close to home.

I’m profoundly grateful to our extraordinary team for bringing this vital work to life, and to Suzie Miller for trusting us with her words. Most of all, thank you for being here. For leaning in. For listening.

The law may say “innocent until proven guilty,” but this play asks: proven to whom? And at what cost?

Julian Louis
Artistic Director, NORPA

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DIRECTOR’S NOTE: HEATHER FAIRBAIRN

Prima Facie is a play that holds a mirror up to a system we are taught to trust — and then flips that mirror to show us the same system from the outside.

Suzie Miller’s play is told entirely through one woman’s subjective experience, and that is what makes it such powerful theatre. We’re asked to step into someone else’s shoes, if only for one night. We see the world as Tessa sees it: first as a defence barrister fluent in the language of law, confident in its processes and protections, and then as someone shattered by the very system she once believed in and defended.

In approaching this production, I was drawn to Prima Facie as a memory play. What we experience is shaped by recall rather than chronology – layered, fragmented, and at times blurred or distorted. The form mirrors the content, reflecting the play’s interrogation of memory, credibility, and the limits of the law, particularly its failure to recognise lived experience – and the lived experience of women.

A central idea in our design is “two sides of the same coin”: inside and outside the system; personal and professional; order and chaos; certainty and doubt. These positions begin clearly separated, but rupture forces them into collision. The neat distinctions Tessa once relied on no longer hold.

The world crashing down is violent and aggressive. What follows is not redemption or relief, but a reckoning.

While this is one woman’s story, it gestures toward many others – one in three. Presenting this work with NORPA, in intimate community spaces throughout the Northern Rivers – and in my hometown of twenty years – feels especially meaningful. I hope it becomes not just a night at the theatre and a rare chance to see this award-winning play locally, but a shared conversation.

My thanks to Suzie Miller, to NORPA, to Matilda Ridgway for her virtuosic performance, and to our extraordinary creative team.

Heather Fairbairn
Director

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SYNOPSIS

Prima Facie is a powerful contemporary work by acclaimed Australian playwright Suzie Miller that places the justice system under the spotlight.

At the centre of the story is Tessa, a highly skilled criminal defence barrister who believes in the law and her role within it. From inside the courtroom, she understands how arguments are built, how stories are tested, and how the system determines truth. But when her world shifts, Tessa is confronted with the limits of a system she has always trusted.

Told with intelligence, urgency and emotional clarity, Prima Facie invites us to consider how justice is experienced — not just how it is written. It asks vital questions about power, gender and credibility, and what happens when lived experience collides with legal process.

This internationally celebrated work speaks directly to our moment. Presented by NORPA, Prima Facie offers an unflinching and deeply human theatre experience that stays with you long after the final moment.

Awards for Prima Facie:

• 2023 Olivier Award, Best New Play (UK)
• 2023 WhatsOnStage Award, Best New Play (UK)
• 2020 Major AWGIE Award
• 2020 David Williamson Prize for Excellence in Writing for Australian Theatre
• 2018 Griffin Award

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SUPPORT RESOURCES

We acknowledge that Prima Facie deals with sensitive and challenging themes. If you or someone you know is affected by the content, help and support are available.

NSW Sexual Violence Helpline
Phone: 1800 424 017
Website: fullstop.org.au

1800RESPECT
National Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Counselling Service
Call, text, or chat online with accessible options
Phone: 1800 737 732
National Relay Service (NRS): 1800 555 677
Interpreter: 13 14 50
Website: 1800respect.org.au

Northern NSW Local Health District Sexual Assault Service
Crisis line, counselling, support, and advocacy available in person at:

• Byron Bay: (02) 6639 9400, 54 Ewingsdale Road, Ewingsdale NSW 2481
• Grafton: (02) 6640 2402, 184 Arthur Street, Grafton NSW 2460
• Lismore: (02) 6620 2970, 154 Laurel Avenue, Lismore NSW 2480
• Murwillumbah: Appointments through Tweed Community Health 07 5506 7540, 8-10 Nullum Street, Murwillumbah NSW 2484
• Tweed Heads: Phone: (02) 6620 2970, Kingscliff Community Health Centre, 71 Turnock Street, Kingscliff NSW 2487

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THE CREATIVE TEAM

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Writer Suzie Miller
Director Heather Fairbairn
Performer Matilda Ridgway
Lighting and Set Designer Véronique Benett
Sound Designer Julian Starr
Costume Designer Ella Lincoln
Production Stage Manager Asline Adjalle
Touring Crew Padi Bolliger and Fin Wegener

Prima Facie was first produced by Griffin Theatre Company in May 2019 at the SBW Stables Theatre.

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ABOUT NORTHERN RIVERS PERFORMING ARTS (NORPA)

NORPA creates bold, contemporary theatre that lives beyond traditional stages. Guided by a belief in theatre without walls, we make work that connects deeply with place, people and the world we live in.

From our home in Lismore, NORPA develops original productions, site-specific works and intimate performances.

At the heart of NORPA’s work is collaboration. We partner with local artists, community organisations, businesses and government to create shared cultural experiences and meaningful opportunities for artists to live and work in our region.

NORPA is a not-for-profit company led by a small team of theatre professionals and supported by a dedicated group of volunteers. We are committed to nurturing local talent and championing ambitious storytelling — proof that regional communities are rich with creative possibility.

SUPPORT BOLD STORIES. SUPPORT NORPA.

Works like Prima Facie challenge, inspire, and spark vital conversations. Your donation helps NORPA bring powerful theatre to our region and nurture the artists who step forward to tell these stories. Every gift makes a difference—join us in keeping bold theatre alive.

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THANK YOU

Suzie Miller, Byron Theatre, Bell Shakespeare, Bobbie Field, Dane Bodley, Karina White, Joss Moss, Toni Glynn, Sara Holt, Sheridyn Dalton, Jake Dix, Leigh McGrane, Rachelle Blake, Brett Boardman, Kate Holmes, Teri Milburn & Brea Cameron.

PRIMA FACIE PARTNERS

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, Arts on Tour and the NSW Government through Create NSW.

PRIMA FACIE VENUE PARTNER

NORPA PARTNERS