Australian playwright Suzie Miller, whose work includes the award-winning Prima Facie, has reflected on her journey from a working-class upbringing in Melbourne to international success. Meeting on the Sydney Opera House forecourt, Miller recalled arriving in Sydney in 1987 as a 22-year-old law student, feeling liberated by the city's promise. 'I can actually dream what I want to be,' she said, contrasting Sydney's openness with Melbourne's focus on background and credentials.
Miller's career spans over 40 plays, many tackling social justice issues drawn from her background in human rights and criminal law. Her debut play, Cross Sections (2004), set in Kings Cross, drew on her work with sex workers and homeless youth. She credits her Catholic schooling with instilling a strong sense of justice, noting wryly: 'There’s something about the Catholics, they do that well.'
Her most famous work, Prima Facie, a one-woman legal drama about sexual assault law, won Olivier and Tony awards for Miller and actor Jodie Comer. The play, inspired by her frontline observations, spurred a group of UK barristers and judges to advocate for legal reform. Her subsequent play Inter Alia, starring Rosamund Pike, examines sexual assault from a judge's perspective and prompted fathers to have difficult conversations with their sons about consent.
Miller remains optimistic about theatre's power to change minds. 'That’s huge, just the fact that a man can go, ‘Actually, I’m not doing enough,’' she said, reflecting on audience reactions. Her next project is a screen adaptation of Prima Facie starring Cynthia Erivo, while Inter Alia transfers to Broadway in November.
