Content Warning: Prima Facie includes references to sexual assault.

Tauranga-based Tautoko Mai Sexual Harm Support is partnering with actor Cassandra Woodhouse to bring a theatrical production to as many young people as possible, offering free tickets for high school and university students.

The Olivier and Tony award-winning production and one-woman tour de force, Prima Facie, which provides commentary on the justice system's handling of sexual assault, is set to tour the North Island with NZ Theatre Company following successful performances in 2024.

Woodhouse said this is an opportunity to encourage critical thinking and a chance for young people to ask industry professionals questions about healthy sexual relationships.

Schools can workshop with Woodhouse and facilitate a post-show question and answer time with the actress and local support agencies.

"These conversations will not only educate youth on their rights but spark necessary conversations around sexual relationships," Woodhouse said.

"Prima Facie is an unforgettable story which 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.” said Woodhouse.

'Prima Facie'

Prima Facie is a one-woman play that follows Tessa Ensler, played by Woodhouse, through the seemingly standard challenges of love, life and career.

Tessa 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 Australia, and has been translated into more than 20 languages.

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.

Prima Facie heads to Palmerston North, Tauranga, Rotorua, Auckland and New Plymouth from March – July.  This production from NZ Theatre Company is directed by Michael Hurst ONZM.

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.

For more information and bookings go to https://www.nztheatrecompany.com