Pornography by Simon Stephens

Presented by: tabHu Acting School

22 - 23 November 2025

The Arch

Simon Stephens’ Pornography is a haunting mosaic of lives unravelling during the 2005 London bombings. Fragmented, lyrical, and unsettling, it captures ordinary people in extraordinary moments—desire, grief, isolation—woven into a city on edge. It’s not about sex, but exposure: of vulnerability, violence, and the raw pulse beneath urban life.

Set against the backdrop of the 2005 London bombings, Pornography is a fragmented, poetic exploration of a city on edge. Told through seven loosely connected scenes, the play captures ordinary lives—siblings, strangers, lovers—grappling with isolation, desire, and disconnection. There’s no central plot, but a haunting emotional thread: the sense that something has ruptured beneath the surface of everyday life.

Stephens doesn’t offer answers—only moments. A stolen kiss, a racist rant, a quiet breakdown. The title refers not to sex, but to exposure: the raw, unfiltered reality of a society stripped bare by fear, media saturation, and emotional numbness.

“We live in pornographic times.” – “Scorched by a need and an inability to connect.” “The suicide bombers were in no way monstrous, or evil, or alien. But rather… deeply human and deeply English.”

“Pornography is a play that dramatises a world that seems to be more atomised and fractured than it has been in the past.”

"We are not here to entertain. We are here to awaken. Theatre must be a mirror, a wound, and a balm." - Paulo Castro (Director)

tabHu Ensemble has previously collaborated with Adelaide Festival, the Migration Museum, the Multicultural Communities Centre of SA, the Migrant Resource Centre, and a range of community-led initiatives across South Australia. This production marks a new chapter in their mission to make theatre that matters. 

 

TICKETS on SALE SOON

tabHu Ensemble

tabHu Ensemble is the creative heart of the tabHu Acting School in Adelaide, founded on the principle of “The Art of Being Human.” Led by acclaimed Portuguese theatre director Paulo Castro, the ensemble brings together a diverse group of performers, educators, and cultural storytellers committed to radical authenticity, emotional truth, and artistic experimentation.

Paulo Castro’s international career spans continents and genres—from directing for Portugal’s national theatre to staging works across France, Iceland, Mozambique, and Australia. His vision for tabHu is rooted in improvisation, movement, and self-devised performance, guiding artists to explore their intuition and deepen their connection to character and community.

The ensemble includes actors, dancers, filmmakers, and multidisciplinary artists who collaborate across languages, cultures, and forms. Their work is not just performance—it’s a laboratory of human experience, where vulnerability becomes power and storytelling becomes transformation.

tabHu’s ensemble is known for staging bold, inclusive productions that challenge conventions and celebrate the richness of lived experience, redefining what it means to make theatre in Australia today.

Meet the Team

  • tabHu Acting School

    PRODUCER

  • Paulo Castro

    DIRECTOR/DESIGNER - SET, LIGHT & SOUND

  • Deborah Muthu-Oosting

    PERFORMER

  • Doran Moppert

    PERFORMER

  • Eilish Maguire

    PERFORMER

  • Freyja Tasci

    PERFORMER

  • Hugo Johnston

    PERFORMER

  • Jane Miel Conlon

    PERFORMER

  • Josh Talbot-Smith

    PERFORMER

  • Keith Preston

    PERFORMER

  • Mary-Anne Butler

    PERFORMER

  • Mirjana Medic

    PERFORMER

  • Patrick Suto

    PERFORMER

  • Sach

    PERFORMER

  • Isabella Bracco

    PRODUCTION/STAGE MANAGER

VENUE INFO

The Arch at Holden Street Theatres

Holden Street Theatres, 32-34 Holden Street, Hindmarsh, Kaurna Country

Step-free mobility aid access through the main entrance with an accessible bathroom.

 
SESSIONS

Duration: 110 minutes

November 22 @ 7:00pm

November 23 @ 2:00pm

Venue & Bar Open 1 hour before the show starts and stays open one hour after the show ends.

SUITABILITY & WARNINGS

Age Suitability: M

TICKET PRICES

(Fees and charges apply - see ticket linlk for details)

BUY TIX HERE
ACCESSIBILITY

High Audio Content