How Now Brown Cow, creators of acclaimed productions such as My Name is Lucy Barton, Expelled and Constellations, will present the South African premiere of Tony and Olivier Award-winning gripping legal drama Prima Facie. The production will run at the Baxter from 4 to 29 August 2026, before transferring to the Barney Simon at the Market Theatre from 17 September until 4 October 2026.
Written by Suzie Miller, this production is directed by award-winning director Neil Coppen (Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater; Animal Farm; Tin Bucket Drum), with powerhouse performer Danica De La Rey Jones, pictured above (Hunting Jessica Brok; Unseen; For Colored Girls) in the role of Tessa, a brilliant young barrister, who climbs her way up from working class origins to the top of her game.
She plays Tessa, who believes in the legal system until a brutal attack turns her world upside down and she has to navigate the same system she once championed – defending, cross examining and winning. Now put on trial herself, re-traumatized through her cross-examination, she finds herself questioning everything she believed about justice.
Deepen the discussion
Prima Facie is a hard-hitting look at the “patriarchal power of the law” where the burden of proof and existing rules of evidence often work against victims of sexual violence.
Lighting design for the production is by Tina Le Roux, with set design by Patrick Curtis and sound design by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder.
The 2022 London production of the show was nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards, with wins for Best New Play and Best Actress for Jodie Comer, who subsequently won a Tony Award for the same role on Broadway in New York.
“Beyond merely presenting a gripping staging of Prima Facie on South African stages, I’m excited by the opportunity this creates to use the production strategically to deepen the discussion around its concerns and themes with our audiences,” says director Neil Coppen.
What: Prima Facie
Where and when: The Baxter Studio from 4 to 29 August 2026 | Barney Simon at the Market Theatre from 17 September until 4 October 2026
Tickets: Webtickets
WS
