National Theatre and Empire Street Productions announce Prima Facie, the most watched National Theatre Live title to date, is returning to cinemas from 12 September 2024. Jodie Comer’s (Killing Eve) ‘extraordinarily gutsy and rich’ (★★★★ Evening Standard) performance in Suzie Miller’s gripping one-women play has been watched by nearly half a million people worldwide, and from September more audiences will have the opportunity to watch the award-winning production, with screenings found at primafacie.ntlive.com.
Audiences can watch Comer’s ‘masterful West End debut’ (★★★★ Guardian), captured live in 2022 during a sold out run at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End. Directed by Justin Martin (Stranger Things: The First Shadow), Comer plays Tessa, a young, brilliant barrister who has worked her way up from working class origins to be at the top of her game; defending; cross examining and winning. An unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge in this “unforgettable moment of theatre” (★★★★ WhatsOnStage).
The play has since become a global phenomenon, adapted into a novel by Suzie Miller, with the audiobook narrated by Jodie Comer. In Northern Ireland, new protocols have been implemented so that judges must now watch the film of the production as part of their training for sexual assault cases. Jodie Comer received Olivier, Tony, WhatsOnStage, Evening Standard Theatre, and The Stage Debut Awards for her performance in Prima Facie, and the play itself won an Olivier award.
Playwright Suzie Miller has said: “Thrilled to be able to tell fans that Jodie’s magnificent performance in Prima Facie is back in cinemas with National Theatre Live. I’m so intensely proud of the creative and production teams for all the changes it has provoked.”
Jodie Comer has said: “I’m thrilled that the NT live recording of our London run of Prima Facie will be screening worldwide in cinemas again. It’s a wonderful opportunity to keep spreading this important message and for those who couldn’t make it in person, here is your invitation, come join us!”
The production of Prima Facie continues to partner with The Schools Consent Project. Set up in 2014 by barrister Kate Parker, The Schools Consent Project is a charity which sends lawyers into schools to teach 11-18 year olds the legal definition of consent and key sexual offences. For further information, please see https://www.schoolsconsentproject.com
Sky Arts is the Headline Sponsor of National Theatre Live in the UK.
