Compagnia Finzi Pasca's new production makes its national premiere. Translated into 20 languages and performed in 38 countries, Prima Facie is a play by Australian playwright Suzie Miller that tells the story of Tessa, a criminal lawyer often involved in cases of sexual violence. A shocking event leads her to a deep reflection on the concept of justice within an often contradictory justice system.
Prima Facie, in Latin, means “at first sight”. In the legal context, it refers to an event considered true only on the basis of a first impression.
The play tackles, with intensity and sensitivity, issues that are more urgent than ever today: gender violence, consent and the language of power, highlighting the gap that often separates formal justice from real lived justice. Rather than dwelling on explicit violence, the narrative focuses on consent that is denied, misunderstood or manipulated, offering a critical perspective on a culture and system that still too often tends to blame rather than listen to and protect those who denounce.
In a historical moment in which the debate on gender equality, justice and victims' rights is at the centre of the public agenda, Prima Facie imposes itself as a necessary work, capable of generating profound reflections, becoming an invitation to act as an active part of a concrete change.
With exclusive rights to the Italian version, the Compagnia Finzi Pasca proposes a production faithful to its unmistakable poetics, immersed in dreamlike atmospheres and capable of surprising and moving.
Translated into 20 languages and performed in 38 countries, Prima Facie has become a global phenomenon, sparking debates everywhere on the need for a justice system more sensitive to the needs of victims of sexual crimes. A vast movement of opinion developed around the play, contributing to legislative changes in the UK and taking author Suzie Miller to the UN to address the legal rights of victims of sexual abuse and harassment. The first version of the play premiered in Sydney in 2019. In April 2022, it was staged in London, winning two Laurence Olivier Awards; it subsequently debuted on Broadway. Today it is performed all over the world, with different actresses playing the role of the lawyer Tessa.
Prima Facie encourages women to share their experiences, contributing to the creation of a support network and stimulating society to think about new perspectives in the legal field.
‘In Prima Facie,’ says Daniele Finzi Pasca, ‘I will not change anything of the beauty of this dramaturgical structure, trying with Melissa Vettore to tiptoe through a story that tragically continues to recur everywhere and in a violently obstinate way.’
