Prima Facie

In the organizer's words:

by Suzie Miller

German translation by Anne Rabe
in the studio

Tessa is successful. Despite all the competition, she has steadfastly worked her way through an elite law degree and to the top of a law firm. Now she is a criminal defense lawyer and is making a name for herself, especially with cases of sexual abuse. Tessa masters the supreme discipline of cross-examination perfectly and relentlessly dismantles the statements of rape victims. Her trials always end with an acquittal for the accused men.

But then everything changes: Tessa's intense flirtation with one of her colleagues ends in rape. She reports her colleague to the police and in the subsequent court proceedings - now from the perspective of the victim - experiences how she is ground up in the mill of justice.

Suzie Miller's gripping monologue takes us into the brutal reality of the courtroom. "Prima Facie", which premiered in Sydney in 2019 and has since won numerous awards and plays, raises critical questions: How do we - socially and, above all, legally - negotiate sexual violence? Who is listened to, credible and protected in our legal system and how?