Peter Houghton and Anne Browning first crossed paths in 1997 in Melbourne, where both were cast in a production of Hamlet.
While they were hired to play lovers on stage, their off-screen dynamic initially felt formal. We were both single and playing onstage lovers. I felt embarrassed because it sounded like some kind of calculated romantic ploy.
Peter recalls first spotting Anne in the Melbourne Theatre Company cafeteria, noting her sleepy, grumpy expression and striking, intense green eyes. Though he found her formidable, the two eventually bonded through humor as they spent long hours waiting in rehearsals. Slightly scary green eyes looking at me, i still recall those intense. But also quite formidable, i thought to myself: she is very attractive. But humour was the key, at first it was a little awkward. She told me her sign was Scorpio – the same as mine. I quickly flicked to the next page but somewhere in my brain I knew it was the truth. She was living with her sister and I was living in this big groovy warehouse in Richmond with other actors. The bohemian setting made me look a bit more impressive and artistic than I was, i liked that when she’d come to my place. We were massively overpacked and it quickly emerged that neither of us was good at camping. Secretly thankful we weren’t in nature any more, as soon as we got back to the car we made a beeline to KFC and gorged ourselves on fried chicken after days of miserable camping stodge. Anne was violently ill all the way back – all that rich food after rehydrated dust. Anne and I share a clown-like heart that over the decades has helped us through hard times. Big life events like losing a parent have been somewhat easier because there’s a levity and lightness Anne brings – never letting me go into the dark places or stay there for too long.
Seeking entertainment during downtime, they often thumbed through discarded 1970s magazines left in their rehearsal space, making jokes about the dated fashion and poses. One particular session turned pivotal when Peter jokingly asked Anne to read a horoscope meant for 1972, noting that both were Scorpios. As he read the entry aloud, the text claimed: “You have met someone now through work who will be one of the most important people in your life, perhaps a partner and soulmate.” We’d flip through the faded 70s magazines left in the corner and make jokes about what the models in flares or with chopped beards might be saying as they shot the images, instead of practising our lines. One day by chance I flipped to the horoscopes. We stopped at the lights and I summoned the courage to say: “I think I’ve got one of those crushes on you.
Although the couple laughed off the prediction, the coincidence felt significant. Following a performance, while walking along St Kilda Road, Peter gathered the courage to tell her he had a crush on her. Anne’s calm, understated reply—“Well, that’s good. Isn’t it?”—served as the confirmation he needed. For Peter, the inclusion of a question mark in her response made the moment uniquely hers.
Their transition into a couple involved simple joys like theatre dates and dinners. Their early experiences, including an ill-fated camping trip to Wilsons Prom where they struggled with gear and food, only solidified their bond by revealing a shared, self-deprecating humor. Since meeting in that rehearsal room, they have spent nearly 30 years together, raised two children, and performed across the globe. We’d sit on the dusty rehearsal room floor in our tracksuits while the director was working with another actor. Filling our days and nights with dinner and theatre dates, after the show closed our connection grew and we officially became a couple.
Peter reflects that their enduring partnership is built on trust and a mutual commitment to support one another’s dreams. While he does not believe in astrology, he credits that one specific, decades-old horoscope with helping to steer their path together. The pair continues to collaborate professionally, and both remain active in the Australian theatre scene. A magazine from the 70s with an out-of-date horoscope written by a charlatan brought us together.
Currently, Peter Houghton, Anne Browning, and Tom Gutteridge are preparing for the world premiere of the play Crapbox. The production is scheduled to run from October 27 through November 7 at the Explosives Factory located in St Kilda, Melbourne.
