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D O U B L E H E A D E R
EXPERIENCE
"Cassandra and I felt that this was an interesting pairing of shows. They are not exactly similar, yet they traverse a complimentary landscape of sexual politics. In both pieces, it’s the patriarchy and it’s lingering misogyny that comes into question. Even separated by 2,000 years, both pieces make us think beyond what we are actually seeing.
It’s fair to say, too, that we bring the two faces of drama into focus by presenting our shows together. These are, of course, happy face and the sad face that we see in theatres and on theatre programmes the world over, the two masks that have come to represent the very concept of entertainment. It’s worth remembering that these two faces are really only one face, the single face of humanity, expressing everything humanity is capable of feeling. I call it the “therapy face”, where the barrier between extreme grief and extreme joy becomes tissue-thin.
You don’t have to see both shows, but seeing both shows will definitely be a rich experience. "
- Michael Hurst
A B O U T P R I M A F A C I E
Tessa Ensler loves her job. She’s worked her way up from a working-class background to being a top criminal defense barrister at the top of her game – prosecuting, cross-examining and winning in the courtroom with her quick wit and intelligence. Fighting to defend those pleading not guilty – including securing freedom for men accused of rape and sexual assault. Innocent until proven guilty is, after all, the bedrock of human rights.
An unexpected event however forces Tessa to confront the very system she has spent her 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.
Acclaimed Oliver and Tony award-winning play, Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie is an unforgettable story and one-woman tour de force that has the power to question the structure of the legal system and takes us to the heart of where emotion and experience conflict within the system as we know it.
Prima Facie was first produced by Griffin Theatre Company in May 2019 at the SBW Stables Theatre followed by the award-winning 2022 West End premiere at the Harold Pinter Theatre which then traveled to the Golden Theatre on Broadway in 2023. Prima Facie is currently being translated and performed all over the world and in 2023 was also released into a book.
Directed by NZ acting royalty Michael Hurst and performed by Cassandra Woodhouse, NZ Theatre Company is honoured to bring Prima Facie to the NZ stage and continue the call to action that this story is demanding worldwide.
“Cassandra has delivered a war cry for the wounded wāhine
within so many of us, and it is as fierce as it is vulnerable.”
-Tarryn Utiger
“Make sure you see this, it is a superb piece of theatre. A standing ovation says it all.”
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“Prima Facie transcends what I know to be ‘the theatre experience’ & it’s become something else that I have no name for. It’s sublime storytelling from a sublime storyteller, shaped by a theatre genius, and it’s for us. A gift without ego. No strings attached. As teamwork, it’s beyond good.”
- Lexie Matheson ONZM
A B O U T T H E G O L D E N A SS
Coming at you full force via ancient Rome, Michael Hurst’s free-wheeling adaptation of the notorious original is a wild ride through a timeless world of bandits, goddesses, witches, magic, circuses, sandals, slaves and sex. 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.
Written and performed by Michael Hurst.
“An ass-stonishing tour de force... riveting, salacious and very funny.”
-Mike Mather, Stuff
“A marvellous, skilful performance. This is a show to look out for.”
-Charlotte Grimshaw, NZ Listener
“Watching The Golden Ass is watching a master at work...truly captivating from start to finish.”
- Brie Keatly, Art Murmurs
BOOK NOW FOR PRIMA FACIE
*Please click the link below for your preferred venue and you will be directed to ticketing for that venue.
BAYCOURT THEATRE, TAURANGA
8 - 11 March 2025
SIR HOWARD MORRISON CENTRE, ROTORUA
22 - 23 March 2025
GLOBE THEATRE, PALMERSTON NORTH
26 - 27 March 2025
BOOK NOW
FOR PRIMA FACIE & THE GOLDEN ASS
PUMPHOUSE THEATRE, TAKAPUNA 15 - 21 June 2025
FOURTH WALL THEATRE, NEW PLYMOUTH
22 - 31 July 2025
In the Press
Press links:
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https://www.broadwayworld.com/new-zealand/article/Review-PRIMA-FACIE-at-Pumphouse-20240620
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https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/one-woman-tour-de-force-coming-to-gisborne/PBAYRXNI3FC3BPR7SVWXG5A34Y/
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https://www.broadwayworld.com/new-zealand/article/Review-PRIMA-FACIE-at-Pumphouse-20240620
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https://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/359950-powerful-play-tackles-theme-of-sexual-assault.html
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https://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/entertainment/woodhouse-challenges-justice-in-prima-facie
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https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/theatre/importance-love-shown-sympathetic-complex-way
P R I M A F A C I E C R E A T I V ES
P R E V I O U S P R O D U C T I O N S
Being a young mum is supposed to be hard - but for Hanna, the only thing she's ever been brilliant at is raising her beloved daughter Ellie.
Until a DNA test reveals staggering news. Ellie is not Hanna's child. And now her 'real' parents want to meet.
How can an ancient mix-up in an overstretched maternity ward be explained to a three-year-old? Is Hanna supposed to let these strangers into her daughter's life? Forced to question what being a parent really means, Hanna makes a drastic decision that will change all their lives.
This funny, heartfelt and compelling NZ premiere from Offie-nominated playwright Sam Potter asks what family means in a modern society, delicately weaving in questions of racial identity, economic privilege, and the lottery of birth.
H A N N A C R E A T I V E S
HANNA
Cassandra Woodhouse
Cassandra has been in the entertainment industry for 18 years. Having worked professionally on stage, film and as a model, Cassandra is passionate about creating a company that supports, develops and sustains the arts. A strong advocate of mental health Cassandra is committed to establishing an environment that promotes the wellness of artists and society through strong, conscious storytelling and providing employment opportunities that enable artists to feel supported, sustained and through which the consistency of paid work can hone their skills and artistic careers.
DIRECTOR
Jennifer Ward-Lealand
Te Atamira
Since training at Auckland’s Theatre Corporate, Jennifer has worked extensively in theatre, film, television, musical and radio for 40 years. She is also a trained Intimacy Coordinator for stage and screen.
Jennifer was a founding board member of the Watershed Theatre and a co-founder of the drama school, The Actors' Program. She is President of Equity New Zealand (since 2007), Patron of Q Theatre, Theatre New Zealand and Te Manu Tīoriori Trust and serves as a trust board member of the Actors Benevolent Fund.
In the 2007 New Year’s Honours List, she was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to theatre and the community. In 2018 she was named SPADA Industry Champion and in 2019 New Year’s Honours List, she was named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to theatre, film and television and presented with a Woman of Influence Award (for arts and culture) Most recently, Jennifer was honoured as the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year 2020.