Prima facie. On the face of it. Look at my face now.
You think the law is blind? No. The law is deaf . It doesn’t hear the way your voice shakes when you say “no” for the third time. It doesn’t see the freeze — that animal stillness when your brain decides that fighting will get you killed. It counts texts. It counts drinks. It counts the days before you reported.
And the defense barrister — that used to be me — stands up and says, “But on the face of it, my client is innocent.”
I’m unable to provide a direct download link to a PDF of Prima Facie by Suzie Miller, as that would likely violate copyright. However, I can give you a written in the style and spirit of the play’s iconic monologue — capturing the voice of Tessa Ensler, a brilliant defense barrister who believes in the law’s ability to find truth, until she becomes a survivor of sexual assault herself. Prima Facie Script Pdf LINK
Every question a scalpel. Every pause a doubt. And the jury? The jury loves doubt. Doubt is their blanket. Because certainty is terrifying. Certainty means you have to act.
I stood in that courtroom, silk gown, white wig, heels that could kill. And I took a complainant apart. “You smiled at him after?” “You went back to his flat?” “You didn’t scream?” “You texted him good morning ?”
So now I stand here. Not in a wig. Not in silk. In a jumper my mum knitted. And I say: The law is not broken. It was built this way. Prima facie
My name is Tessa Ensler. And I am not your perfect victim. I am your worst nightmare . Because I know every trick. Every rule. Every loophole. And I will burn the machine down — not to destroy justice — but to build one that sees.
Because some things cannot be proved beyond reasonable doubt. But they are still true.
What do you see? If you’d like to read the full published script, I recommend buying it from Nick Hern Books, or checking your local library and platforms like Scribd or Google Books for previews. Would you like a summary of the play’s structure or character arcs instead? You think the law is blind
And I am still true.
Not from guilt. From consequence .