And the defense barrister — that used to be me — stands up and says, “But on the face of it, my client is innocent.”
Here is an extended dramatic excerpt (original text, not from the published script): You want to know what the law feels like? It feels like a machine. A beautiful, ruthless, elegant machine. You feed it facts. You feed it evidence. You feed it doubt . And on the other side — click, whir, shine — comes justice . That’s what I told myself. For ten years.
But a prima facie case — on the face of it — is not enough. Not anymore.
Prima facie. On the face of it. Look at my face now. Prima Facie Script Pdf LINK
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.
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.
Because some things cannot be proved beyond reasonable doubt. But they are still true. And the defense barrister — that used to
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.
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.
That hears.
And I am 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?
That believes.
A prima facie case. That’s what they teach you on day one. On the face of it. On the face of it, the prosecution has enough. Enough to answer. Enough to put the defendant on trial. But I didn’t defend the guilty. I defended the process . Because if the process breaks — if the machine rusts — then anyone can be crushed.
And the jury believes him. Because the machine was built by men. For men. To protect men.
