Prima Facie at the Young Theater Göttingen: A Courtroom for the Truth
Date and Time
Location
Price
About this Event
Mood
Venue Type
Prima Facie: When the Legal System Stands Trial
On November 18, 2026, the Young Theater Göttingen transforms into a courtroom of a special kind. Suzie Miller's award-winning play Prima Facie tells the story of Tessa, a brilliant criminal defense attorney who defends defendants of sexual assault with legal precision. Until she herself becomes a victim and her certainties begin to falter.
A Monologue Between Power, Law, and Personal Truth
The dramaturgy follows a radical shift in perspective: Tessa knows the mechanisms of criminal justice, checks statements for inconsistencies, and relies on the evidentiary power of the law. After the assault, she experiences the same structures from the perspective of the victim. The sovereign defender becomes a prosecutor, and legal security transforms into a painful struggle for her own voice.
Suzie Miller, a lawyer and playwright, combines professional accuracy with great emotional immediacy in her one-woman piece. The production reveals how closely law, language, power, and societal notions of credibility are interconnected.
An Intense Solo Performance
In the Göttingen production directed by Jette Seier, Malin Kraft stands alone on stage. The acting carries the evening through shifting states of consciousness: from precise delivery in the courtroom to the heartbreaking confrontation with her own trauma. The stage design becomes the inner negotiation space, in which memory, evidence, and accusation intertwine.
With a runtime of approximately 90 minutes, a concentrated theatrical experience develops without intermission. Lighting, acoustics, and the proximity of the Young Theater intensify the theater atmosphere and make every gesture of the character immediately experienceable. The audience is not only in the spectator area but also finds themselves in the position of the judging.
An Award-Winning Play with Social Explosive Power
Prima Facie premiered in Sydney in 2019 and has received international accolades. The work won, among others, the Australian Writers Guild Award for Drama, the David Williamson Award, and the Laurence Olivier Award. In its monological form, the play combines legal vocabulary with a breathless inner flow and raises the question of whom a legal system protects – and whom it leaves behind.
The audience reaction arises from the unflinching proximity to the main character. Between courtroom language and personal experience, a tension opens that extends far beyond the theater evening. The play touches on the #MeToo debate without exhausting itself in theses: it leaves contradictions standing and challenges one's own judgment.
Conclusion: A Theater Evening That Resonates
Prima Facie promises a concentrated, intense, and socially relevant theatrical experience. Those who wish to experience acting, strong dramaturgy, and political theater in an immediate form will find an evening full of tension, empathy, and uncomfortable questions at the Young Theater Göttingen. The performance invites audiences not only to observe law and justice but to negotiate them emotionally.
Official Channels of Young Theater Göttingen:
- Instagram: no official profile found
- Facebook: no official profile found
- YouTube: no official profile found
- Website: https://www.junges-theater.de/
