Script: Prima Facie

If your script fails any of these tests, it is not yet a prima facie script. It requires further revision, clarification, or structural re-engineering.

For screenwriters and playwrights, analyzing the Prima Facie script offers masterclass lessons in structural reversals, character evolution, and the mechanics of the legal system. The Power of the Inciting Incident

Tessa’s pre-assault persona is a little too familiar: whiskey-drinking, chain-smoking (stage direction), sexually confident, verbally vicious. It’s enjoyable but borders on cliché. The play earns its complexity later, but the first act feels like a composite of every “tough female lawyer” from The Good Fight to Damages . prima facie script

Authorized digital versions are often available for purchase through the Nick Hern Books website for e-readers. Libraries:

The script challenges the idea that the law is neutral. Through Tessa’s closing monologue, the text argues that the legal system was constructed by men, for men, hundreds of years ago. Therefore, the standard of the "reasonable person" inherently excludes female lived experiences of trauma and compliance under threat. Class and Belonging If your script fails any of these tests,

What makes the Prima Facie script a masterclass is not just its theme, but its pure structure as a piece of writing for a single performer. It is a model of economy, momentum, and emotional layering.

Tessa’s identity as a working-class woman in a patrician, upper-class profession adds a layer of intersectional tension. Her fierce dedication to winning is partly driven by the need to prove she belongs. When she is assaulted by Julian—an establishment figure—her ultimate betrayal is not just personal, but institutional. The Illusion of Truth The Power of the Inciting Incident Tessa’s pre-assault

This creates an intense dramatic irony. The audience knows exactly what happened, making the legal dismantling of her story painful to watch. Structural Breakdown of the Script

The user inputs an ethical dilemma (e.g., "I must keep a promise to meet a friend, but on the way, I see a person drowning").

Suzie Miller also wrote a novel based on the play, published by Hutchinson Heinemann , which is significantly longer at approximately Australian Plays Transform Where to Access the Script Physical Copy: You can find the script at major retailers like or specialized drama bookstores. Digital/PDF:

The opening pages must prove that the story is worth telling.