Sixth form college learners explore Prima Facie workshop at REP theatre

Drama learners studying at Solihull Sixth Form College visited the Birmingham REP Theatre to take part in a practical workshop based on the play 'Prima Facie' by Suzie Miller.

Students on the A level Drama & Theatre course must study a range of live theatre productions with 'Prima Facie' being one of them.

The production is a powerful one-woman drama about a working-class criminal defence barrister, who defends men accused of sexual assault, until her belief in the legal system is shattered when she is sexually assaulted by a colleague.

The trip gave students the opportunity to develop a wider understanding of this production thanks to a Question & Answer session with the Stage Manager of 'Prima Facie' and what they learned will support their exam preparation for Component 1. 

Students also participated in two workshops led by The Schools Consent Project and Everyone's Invited.

The first workshop was led by a barrister, and it explored the topic of sexual assault and consent from a legal perspective. The second workshop looked at rape culture and what can be done to combat this.

Drama teacher Nadia Kouhi commented: "Our young people were challenged to discuss the difficult topic of sexual assault and see how this hard-hitting subject matter is tackled in the play 'Prima Facie' and how it is dealt with in real life."