Legal Cheek’s Samantha Wong reports on a Q&A session with the creators of the play ahead of its cinema debut
“One in three women. Look to your left. Look to your right. It’s one of us.”
Sitting at a screening of NTLive: Prima Facie ahead of its return to cinemas, I felt certain that this live recording was just as gut-wrenching as the original performance at the Harold Pinter Theatre in 2022.
Prima Facie tells the story of Tessa, a young, successful criminal defence barrister, whose staunch belief in the legal system and its delivery of justice was utterly shattered when she herself became a victim of sexual assault. Now on the witness stand, being scrutinised rather than doing the scrutinising, she experienced firsthand how the rigid logic of criminal law struggles to make sense of a violation so deeply personal and emotional. Instead of facilitating justice, it seemed to prevent it.
It is said that “art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”. While I cannot imagine many sexual assault survivors finding Prima Facie particularly comforting to watch, the fact that this play has made a real societal impact should provide some relief, not least because the play is so successful at disturbing the comfortable.
As the playwright Suzie Miller explained at the Q&A following the screening, a High Court judge contacted her three days after the play opened on the West End, asking permission to borrow her words as they revise the jury instructions normally given in sexual assault trials. The play also inspired a group of barristers to form TESSA (The Examination of Serious Sexual Assault), which calls to re-evaluate the statutory definitions of rape, consent and sexual assault in the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
In fact, making a real impact was the goal all along. During the Q&A, Kate Parker, founder of the Schools Consent Project, shared that the charity was invited to partner with the production from its inception. The play’s success, from stage to screen, has helped the organisation deliver workshops to over 55,000 school-age children, educating them on the legal definition of consent. When the production transferred to Broadway, it brought the Schools Consent Project to New York City, where they opened a US branch to run similar workshops at local schools.
Prima Facie also partnered with Everyone’s Invited, a charity that provides a safe space for survivors to share their stories. As the live recording reaches more viewers, the charity has received an increasing number of testimonies from survivors seeking catharsis, empowerment, and a sense of community and hope. Much like the play, the charity helps give survivors their voices back.
As a former lawyer, Miller recognised that many in the legal profession can be so swept up by the day-to-day that they lose sight of the bigger picture. Prima Facie serves as a stark reminder of the urgent work that remains to be done. It’s safe to say that Prima Facie deserves a spot on every law student’s required reading list.
NTLive: Prima Facie will be available in cinemas worldwide from today (12 September 2024).
