show-time
Stephen House
rise at nine stretching yoga eat fresh fruit drink herbal tea / head down hallway bathroom shared creaky boards tiles grubby / showering shave cleaning teeth toilet pack bag day to come / dress for weather clean jocks fresh socks money notebook phone new pen / leaving third floor rented cheap room avoid old elevator prone to stop / three flights downstairs outside day noise street-life bustle crowded push
inside safety usual café favourite table start day black coffee / online work sites arts grant email face-book messenger internet banking / submission acceptance rejection new project booking travel theatre gig / go through lines show-day monologue order second coffee smiling waiter / barista flicks me show-review in paper says congrats coffee todays on us / friendly cute bloke two mornings smiling finish coffee smile back as exit
bus catch hungry vego lunching krishna restaurant all one can eat / two plates rice veg sweets by double read show-review appeared online / bus to beach swim in boxers walk shore dry warm sunshine arvo / jog on foreshore stretch pace saunter doze on rocks wind chill escaping / sit on seat rehearsing show-lines perform full show under tree alone / calling partner laughing chatting his ask my tell my ask his tell / light snack coffee walk by river show-time work-time head to theatre
show-time nearly good feel inside tonight sold out my first full house / enter work place theatre show-night chat to tech voice warm up on stage / dressing-room yoga chant pray stretching five minute call breathing deep / packed house entry muster all in giving monologue play written me to them / exit stage two curtain call back applause some standing show-time over / in bar chatting audience offer appreciate feedback show-talk gratitude / show-day ending exit theatre alone walk train stop show-time show-life
Stephen House has won many awards and nominations as a poet, playwright, and actor. He’s had 20 plays produced with many published by Australian Plays Transform. He’s received several international literature residencies from The Australia Council for the Arts, and an Asialink India literature residency. He’s had two chapbooks published by ICOE Press Australia: real and unreal poetry and The Ajoona Guest House monologue. His next book drops soon. He performs his acclaimed monologues widely.