Begging to be believed

Director Paul Gittins sees the play Prima Facie as having much to say about sexual assault and the legal system

- LINDA HERRICK

Paul Gittins is pretty steamed up. The evening before he was due to talk about Prima Facie, the play he's preparing to stage in Auckland this month, he Christchurch's caught the TV news about "Mama Hooch" court case.

The case, involving multiple rapes and sexual assaults, some committed eight years ago, is an extreme reflection of Prima Facie's narrative: that the justice system is a cruel process for rape victims.

The drama, by Australian lawyer-turned-playwright Suzie Miller, is a one-hander about a high-achieving defence lawyer undercut by the system when she lays a complaint of rape against a male colleague.

Prima Facie has become a global phenomenon, with productions scheduled across Europe, Scandinavia, the US, Asia and South America.

Gittins' production will star Acushla-Tara Kupe (Ngāti Maniapoto), seen recently on TVNZ+ as police officer Diana Huia in the New Zealand-Irish crime series The Gone.

Circa Theatre in Wellington is also staging Prima Facie in a separate production, with Mel Dodge directed by Lyndee-Jane Rutherford, opening a couple of days after the Auckland season.

It's clear the play has something to say that audiences want to hear, and Gittins is struck by the relevance of the Mama Hooch case to Prima Facie.

Named after the Christchurch bar where drinks were spiked by the victims' predators, the case has finally led to the conviction of two men, Roberto Jaz, 38, and his brother Danny Jaz, 40, on 69 charges including rape, indecent assault, sexual violation and stupefying.

The men will be sentenced in August.

The cases involved about 30 women, but police believe there were more victims who never came forward. Moreover, the crimes occurred from 2015-18. That's a long wait for the women.