NORPA launches new regional touring circuit with Prima Facie

NORTHERN Rivers Performing Arts has announced a new touring platform, with a region-wide season of its production of Prima Facie.

Suzie Miller’s internationally acclaimed play has riveted audiences from Sydney to the West End and Broadway, and will tour six destinations across the Northern Rivers in February 2026. Since its 2019 premiere, Prima Facie has become a global phenomenon, earning Olivier and Tony Awards for its West End and Broadway seasons. Written by Australian playwright Suzie Miller and starring Matilda Ridgway, the play is an exploration of truth, power and justice, combining sharp legal insight with raw emotional depth and exposing a system that continues to fail women seeking justice.

Director Heather Fairbairn said NORPA’s staging of the work to Northern Rivers audiences for the first time was timely. “Prima Facie is a play that demands to be heard; it’s raw, urgent, and virtuosic,” Fairbairn said.

“Sharing this story here, across our Northern Rivers community, feels powerful and necessary and a chance for us to sit together in the courage, the rage, and the possibility of change.”

NORPA Artistic Director Julian Louis said the Village Circuit initiative was a new way of sharing theatre more widely.

“It’s a summer tour that links our towns and centres through powerful, professional live performances,” Louis said

“The Village Circuit is about bringing exceptional theatre to the heart of the Northern Rivers, giving everyone the chance to experience world-class storytelling close to home.

“Each year, a different production will travel through the region, creating a cultural trail that celebrates who we are, where we live, and how art can bring us together.”

The Village Circuit’s tour of Prima Facie runs from February 12 to 27 and will encompass Byron Bay, Tweed Heads, Murwillumbah, Kyogle, Grafton and Lismore.

For information and tickets, visit norpa.org.au/events/prima-facie