Educational theatre or theatrical education? You decide with your own POV
Presented by Adelaide Festival
Reviewed 5 March 2026
The acronym, POV, stands for “Point Of View”. In filmic terms it is a camera angle that shows the viewer what a character is seeing, and in the social media world it means that we are experiencing a scene from the creator’s point of view or acting as a specific character in a specific scenario. This last definition sums up the production POV perfectly.
11 year old Bub has been given an expensive camera for her birthday by her father. She decides to film a documentary of her family life or possibly lack of it due to the family breaking up. What has caused the breakup? Why does mum behave strangely?
That is the plot line in a nutshell. But what is so very different about this event, is that the acting and filming process is broken down for the audience. Young ‘Bub’ is the only actor that has rehearsed the script and literally ‘directs’ two different unrehearsed actors as Mum and Dad each performance. The actors have no idea who they are about to play nor what they are about to say. They are as in the dark as the audience about to watch them – a true Actor’s Nightmare! Trust me, when this reviewer performs, he gets nervous enough knowing what he has to do and say. This is not Improv (one of an actor’s ‘tools’), there is a script, various parts given to the actors only when the time is right (and not necessarily just dialogue but various pieces of information that we as an audience need to know); and the actors are directed by ‘Bub’, but only again as they are performing.
The unrehearsed actors are a ‘who’s who’ of great Professional South Australian talent: Chris Asimos, Emma Beech, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Matt Crook, Elizabeth Hay, Ashton Malcolm, Renato Musolino, Hew Parham, Astrid Pill, James Smith, Ellen Steele, and Stephen Tongan. To see any two of these perform together is a godsend! The two actors performing at the production reviewed were Ashton Malcolm and Stephen Tongan.
Bub is played at alternate productions by Yuna Ahn and Grace Tionev. Grace was the ‘Bub’ at the production reviewed.
The overall tone of the first half is humorous, with ‘Bub’ taking us and the actors through the ‘ropes’ of filming, finding your character, and even the finer details of the laws of working with children in entertainment. Whoever plays Bub has a chaperone, must have a 6 minute break and even wear noise cancelling headphones during a rather verbally explicit scene. The audience get a better feel for what the unrehearsed actors are experiencing by having one of the actors read out the letter they received a couple of weeks prior to the production. One actor is required to do research on Bipolar Disorder. This is where the production takes a darker, but well handled, turn. The themes of depression, thoughts of suicide and Bipolar Disorder are all covered, but extremely carefully, giving one hope at the end of the horrific mental health tunnel.
It’s a little unfair to review actors who only do one performance and are (intentionally) unprepared. But Malcolm and Tongan stepped up to the plate and performed well. Their dance routine almost stopped the show. Tongan seemed a little hesitant and stiff at first but warmed up wonderfully; whilst Malcolm tackled her role as if she had been playing it forever (even though Bub made her repeat a line because it wasn’t ‘in character’ lol).
As Bub, on the day, Grace Tionev was a Director’s dream! There was no hesitancy in her and she showed real confidence throughout, even from the beginning with her stride down the steps of the Space Theatre, we all knew that she was in charge.
Even though there are only three people on stage (and a chaperone off to the side), it truly takes a village to put on any production, but especially one such as technically difficult as POV. The creative team of Mark Rogers (Writer), Solomon Thomas (Director), Malcolm Whittaker, Steve Wilson-Alexander, Carly Young, Sound Designer Ashley Bundang, and Creative Producer Malcolm Whittaker have come up with a winner. With so much technical wizardry going on, one might expect hitches but it all flowed beautifully.
POV is possibly more educational theatre or possibly theatrical education (as evident from the plethora of high school students and teachers at the show reviewed) than a straight out play, but it is also an unique theatrical experience, not only for the audience but also the actors lucky enough to be involved. POV is just waiting for your point of view.
Reviewed by Brian Godfrey
Photo credit: Andrew Beveridge
Venue: Space Theatre
Season: Until 8 Mar 2026
Duration: 1hour 20 min
Tickets: $69
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/whats-on/pov
