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.
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
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tabHu Acting School
PRODUCER
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Paulo Castro
DIRECTOR/DESIGNER - SET, LIGHT & SOUND
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Deborah Muthu-Oosting
PERFORMER
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Doran Moppert
PERFORMER
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Eilish Maguire
PERFORMER
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Freyja Tasci
PERFORMER
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Hugo Johnston
PERFORMER
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Jane Miel Conlon
PERFORMER
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Josh Talbot-Smith
PERFORMER
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Keith Preston
PERFORMER
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Mary-Anne Butler
PERFORMER
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Mirjana Medic
PERFORMER
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Patrick Suto
PERFORMER
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Sach
PERFORMER
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Isabella Bracco
PRODUCTION/STAGE MANAGER
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.
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.
Age Suitability: M
(Fees and charges apply - see ticket linlk for details)
High Audio Content