I always found my grandparents’ home warm, familiar and calming. It was full of memories and there was always a story attached to everything. The wholesomeness I always had at my grandparents’ house was evident in Oh My Heart Oh My Home, the latest work by fringe award winner Casey Jay Andrews.

The story of Oh My Heart Oh My Home is endearing. The protagonist, Freddie, pays a visit to her grandfather on her 33 birthday, a person she does not frequently get to see. What is important to note though is, she was born in the house, on the night of a meteor shower. The visit is to see a person but also a place that has great meaning to her. Trees in the garden, a view from the top of a hill and a Scottish terrier named Otto. All very lovely. Astronomy, family and a chorus of dog barking. What more could you want? It is a shock for Freddie though when in the middle of the night, her grandfather goes missing. 

Staged within the Circulating Library at the State Library, you could not ask for a more atmospheric location to stage this show. The theatrical experience is part audio visual and part installation with the inclusion of a doll’s house. This innocuous yet quaint piece of set is a multi-purpose tool that Andrews uses to allow the audience to experience her grandfather’s house the same way that Freddie does. It also is used as a screen where Andrews shows a number of short personal home videos that could have easily taken place in a home just like the one in the story. The performance was accompanied with live electronic music that assisted in building a strong atmosphere. 

Andrews has such a wonderful speaking voice. Elevated and almost stylised, the richness and candour of her tone is almost poetic in nature. When you add the contents of the story, it is almost impossible not to be completely lost in the entire ambience of the moment. She is a fringe award winner for a reason.