It is engaging story-telling.

The audience share in personal stories about life on the Border from those who live here. Three voices feature prominently in At The Hip – John Alker-Jones (performed by Paddy Brown), Bruce Pennay (Matt Davidson) and Jean Whitla (Teeny Miles) – but the way writer Ros Oades combines all the tales makes the play so captivating.

The teenager juggling the HSC and parenthood, members of the our gay community juggling community perceptions, residents in the retirement home juggling ideas of entertaining family visitors. These are the stories and dreams of Albury-Wodonga, familiar and revealing at the same time. 

At The Hip runs at The Butter Factory Theatre until November 19.

It is the culmination of a year-long project for the Studio Ensemble team and it is well presented.

The retirement home scenes with Davidson, Georgie Currie and Miles is loaded with unintentional comic wit – think Muriel and Catherine the elderly bats roosting in a belfry in English animated mockumentary series Creature Comforts.

While laugh-out-loud funny, it is a touching tale of the importance of family and the bond a parent has for their children.

Oades reminds us that love is a powerful bond, from a young mum with her first newborn, to a father in his 90s counting down until his grown-up son visits.

It is beautiful work. 

With no re-writing of the script, At The Hip captures the subjects as they are. Dr Pennay chokes on a biscuit, Mr Alker-Jones chuckles at his own wit and humour.

The earphone verbatim technique is different but the cast cleverly open with an introduction to the system and encourage you to stick with them.

Brown, who also delivers the most recognizable character Gough Whitlam, does well with Alker-Jones and Whitlam.

As audio of Whitlam fades out, the audience hear and see the Ensemble, which also includes Clancy Hauser and Sarah Maloney, deliver dialogue with deftness as they delve deep into competent character acting.

We hear with candid honestly, and youthful enthusiasm, why Albury High School students established WellFest.

It is powerful.

But two highlights come from subjects themselves. The first is Auntie Nancy Rooke’s Dreamtime fable of Murray River tribes.

Director Lyn Wallis’ decision to include actual footage was the right move to capture her dignity and respect. 

The second is that of cast member Currie singing for the camera as a five-year-old.

It is a wonderfully personal addition to a play about hopes and dreams.

Currie’s band The Northern Folk has just released their second album, and the audience is treated to a great then and now perspective with the talented Currie singing live to end the show.

If you are a student, a parent, soulmates from opposite ends of the globe, young, old, live in or have lived in Albury or Wodonga this is about you.

A year ago Wallis had a big dream with At The Hip, the Studio Ensemble has delivered.