Prima Facie

*This production is no longer proceeding as scheduled, all existing ticket buyers have been contacted and will receive a full refund. This includes subscribers that have booked this show in a Season Pass. Please be aware our Box Office is experiencing delays of up to eight weeks to process order refunds and donations.*

PRIMA FACIE / ˌprʌɪmə ˈfeɪʃi/ Latin origin: primus ‘first’ + facies ‘face’. Law: (1) On the face of it, or at first sight, there is enough evidence for a case to answer; (2) a prima facie case will prevail until contradicted or overcome by other evidence.

Young and super smart, Tessa is a defence barrister who has mastered the steely facade needed to be a winner. Things look good from the top.

Working hard makes playing hard a great stress relief. After a few drinks, Tessa hooks up with a colleague, yet what might become a hot romance suddenly spirals into a terrifying ordeal.

Tables turn and Tessa finds herself cast in a very different role in the legal system. Once unflappable, she now grapples to find her way out from under the same shadow of doubt she has so frequently cast upon others.

Sheridan Harbridge (Calamity Jane) brings her acclaimed portrayal of Tessa to Malthouse Theatre in this taut and topical one-woman drama. Playwright Suzie Miller injects first-hand legal knowledge into this timely invective directed at some shocking norms of Australian courts.