The must-experience Olivier and Tony award-winning production and one-woman tour de force, Prima Facie, is set to tour the North Island with NZ Theatre Company, following successful performances in 2024. This gripping and powerful story, which provides vital commentary of the justice systems handling of sexual assault, heads to Palmerston North, Tauranga, Rotorua, Auckland and New Plymouth from March – July.
Tessa Ensler loves her job. She's worked her way up from a working class background to being a top criminal defence barrister at the top of her game – fighting to defend those pleading not guilty - including securing freedom for men accused of rape and sexual assault. An unexpected event forces Tessa to confront the very system she has spent her whole life believing and working within - a system where the lines of patriarchal power and burden of proof are not set up to accommodate the lived experience of sexual assault survivors.
Written by Australian playwright and former human rights lawyer, Suzie Miller, Prima Facie has had performances on Broadway, the West End and across Aotearoa, Australia, and has been translated into more than 20 languages. This unforgettable production from NZ Theatre Company is directed by the celebrated Michael Hurst ONZM and performed by the formidable Cassandra Woodhouse.
With more than 20 years in the entertainment industry across stage and screen, Woodhouse produced and performed a sell-out tour of HANNA by Sam Potter, and has starred in episodes of Filthy Rich, The Almighty Johnsons, and Outrageous Fortune. A strong advocate for mental health, she is passionate about socially impactful theatre and sharing this story as a call to action for sexual harm awareness.
For the 2025 tour, Woodhouse is partnering with Tauranga based Tautoko Mai Sexual Harm Support with the mission to bring Prima Facie to as many young people as possible, offering free tickets for high school and university students. To encourage critical thinking and a chance for young people to ask industry professionals questions about healthy sexual relationships. Schools will have the opportunity to workshop with Woodhouse and/or facilitate a post-show Q&A with the actress and local support agencies. These conversations will not only educate youth on their rights but spark necessary conversations around sexual relationships.
Prima Facie is an unforgettable story has the power to question the structure of the justice system and takes us to the heart of where emotion and experience conflict within the system as we know it - a system that is shaped by the male experience, its cases decided by generations of male judges and legislated by generations of male politicians.
“Producing and performing Prima Facie has, from the beginning, been a mission so much bigger than me. It is a call to action, a war cry for the wounded wāhine within too many of us and an absolute honour to be a voice for all those who have and sadly will experience sexual assault.” says Woodhouse.
In Auckland and New Plymouth, director Hurst will also present his acclaimed one-man production The Golden Ass alongside Prima Facie in a doubleheader of works which both offer up a masterclass in theatre and acting. Laugh-out-loud funny and subversively philosophical, The Golden Ass is a tale of epic proportions, and a powerful plea for empathy in a world gone mad.
“Hurst and Woodhouse make it a work for the ages.” – Lexie Matheson ONZM, Theatreview
"This production is not just a play but a poignant commentary on justice and the complexities of human rights. Highly recommended for its compelling narrative and outstanding performance by Cassandra Woodhouse.” – Monica Moore, Broadway World
Content Warning: Prima Facie includes references to sexual assault.
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