Prima Facie Script

In modern litigation, the Prima Facie Script has evolved beyond paper. Today, a script often references digital evidence.

When drafting your script, always cite to the exhibit number. "See Exhibit A (Dashcam footage at timestamp 00:03:22)." The judge must be able to verify your claims in the record.

In persuasion theory, the first frame wins. By reciting a prima facie script during opening statements, you force the judge and jury to view the evidence through your lens. If you establish that the defendant prima facie breached a contract, the defense is immediately on their heels trying to rebut the "obvious."

"The State’s prima facie script for theft requires proof that the defendant knowingly took property belonging to another, without consent, with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of that property. The preliminary hearing will establish these four facts."

Prima Facie is not a comfortable play. It is a scalpel. Suzie Miller has written the most effective theatrical indictment of rape prosecutions since The Vagina Monologues—but with a lawyer’s precision, not a poet’s abstraction. prima facie script

The script’s greatest achievement is making you despise Tessa’s pre-assault worldview, then forcing you to realize that you once agreed with it. When she finally breaks the fourth wall and asks, “Do you believe me?”—the silence in the theatre is the sound of a system failing.

Recommended for: Adults, legal professionals, survivors (with care), and anyone who believes “justice” and “the law” are the same thing. Prima Facie will prove you wrong.

Content warnings: Rape (described, not staged), legal victim-blaming, PTSD symptoms, suicide mention (brief).

Prima Facie is a powerhouse one-woman play by Suzie Miller that explores the intersection of law, trauma, and gender through the perspective of Tessa, a high-achieving criminal defense barrister. Narrative Overview In modern litigation, the Prima Facie Script has

The script is divided into two starkly different halves that mirror the transition from the "winner" of the legal system to its victim. Purely Dicta Act I: The Game of Law

Tessa is introduced as a brilliant, working-class barrister who has mastered the patriarchal "rules of the game". She takes pride in winning, even when defending those accused of sexual assault, believing firmly that the law is not about truth, but about the burden of proof and the legal "test". Act II: The Witness

Tessa is raped by a colleague, Julian, after a date. She suddenly finds herself on the other side of the witness stand, forced to navigate the same ruthless cross-examination techniques she once used to dismantle victims' testimonies. Purely Dicta Core Themes & Motifs "Legal Truth" vs. Reality

: The script emphasizes that the law cares for evidence and consistency over the messy, non-linear reality of trauma. The "One in Three" Statistic When drafting your script, always cite to the exhibit number

: A recurring motif throughout the play, representing the global statistic of women who experience sexual or physical violence. Patriarchal Structure

: Tessa realizes that the entire system—from the police to the judges—is built by and for men, making it nearly impossible for a woman's "word against his" to prevail. Purely Dicta Script Impact & Availability

The play gained massive international recognition during its 2022 West End run and 2023 Broadway run, starring Jodie Comer