How Now Brown Cow Presents
The South African Premiere
PRIMA FACIE
SEASONS
The Baxter Studio
4 to 29 August 2026
The Market Theatre
(In Association with The Market Theatre)
16 September to 11 October 2026
How Now Brown Cow also proudly presents the South African premiere of Suzie Miller’s award-winning Prima Facie directed by celebrated theatre maker Neil Coppen (Isidlamlilo/TheFire Eater; Animal Farm; Tin Bucket Drum). Danica De La Rey Jones (Hunting Jessica Brok; Unseen; For Colored Girls) performs the role of Tessa, a brilliant young barrister, who climbs her way up from working class origins to the top of her game: defending, cross examining and winning.
Tessa believes in the legal system until a brutal attack turns her world upside down as she navigates the same system she once championed. Now put on trial herself, re-traumatized through her cross-examination, she finds herself questioning everything she believed about justice.
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.
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.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Tessa
CAST
Danica De La Rey Jones
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director & Production Design
Neil Coppen
Set Design
Neil Coppen and Patrick Curtis
Set Construction
Patrick Curtis and The Baxter Theatre
Sound Design & Original Music
Charl-Johan Lingenfelder
Lighting Design
Costume Design
Tina Le Roux
Noluthando “TEXTURE” Lobese
Rehearsal & Production Content
Quaid Jones
Stage Manager (CPT)
Stage Manager (JHB)
Social Media Manager
Social Media Campaign
Purple Hat
Alyssa van der Schyff
Natalie Fraser
Erin Hrustinszky
Publicity (CPT)
Publicity (JHB)
Christine Skinner
CoLab Network (Collett Dawson)
Produced by HOW NOW BROWN COW
Special thanks to The Baxter Theatre and The Market Theatre for their support and hospitality, as well as Nerine Pienaar for her assistance with Wardrobe and Schindlers Attorneys for the Law Books used as part of the set.
In The Rehearsal Room