Closed Hands with HOME

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor

Book now

Closed Hands

HOME Manchester, Manchester
5 March-31 August 2021

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Closed Hands with HOME
Image courtesy of HOME.
Book now

Taking place as part of PUSH Festival 2021, Closed Hands is an experimental and political video game exploring extremism and radicalisation.

With a focus on five main characters, Closed Hands examines the lead-up to and aftermath of a terror attack in a fictional UK city. Although the attack itself is intentionally never depicted, game participants are able to draw their own picture of the reason the event occurred, and the long-lasting effects it had on people, communities, and the city itself.

The gameplay is a free-form fragmented narrative, allowing the player to weave their own paths through the story: both forward and backward in time. Cleverly told through interactive textual fiction, players are able to explore each character’s desktop – read their emails, replay conversations and explore their files and documents.

Developed by Manchester-based indie games studio PASSENGER, the game will allow players to understand the impact of extremism. Led by artist Dan Hett, Closed Hands is the studio’s first work, and explores Dan’s personal experience of losing his brother Martyn Hett in the Manchester terror attack in 2017.

Exploring prejudices and racism alongside tabloid and media reactions, the game aims to open a dialogue around the effect that extremism has on people’s perceptions of cultures and communities.

All groups represented in the game have been developed in close consultation with cultural, professional and community groups. This includes journalists, emergency workers, and both the Muslim and wider minority ethnic communities.

What's on at HOME Manchester

Two young women dance in a nightclub, smiling next to each other.
CinemaManchester
The Last Days of Disco + Q&A at HOME

Director Whit Stillman presents a 35mm screenings of one of the best films of the nineties, as a group of twenty-somethings navigate The Last Days of Disco.

From £7.95

Where to go near Closed Hands with HOME

Manchester
Restaurant
Indian Tiffin Room, Manchester

Indian Tiffin Room is a restaurant specialising in Indian street food, with branches in Cheadle and Manchester. This is the information for the Manchester venue.

The Ritz Manchester live music venue
Manchester
Music venue
The Ritz

The Ritz was originally a dance hall, built in 1928, has hosted The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Smiths and is still going strong as a gig venue now.

Homeground
Manchester
Event venue
Homeground

Homeground is HOME’s brand new outdoor venue, providing an open-air space for theatre, food, film, music, comedy and more.

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Burgess Cafe Bar
at IABF

Small but perfectly-formed café – which also serves as the in-house bookstore, stocking all manner of Burgess-related works, along with recordings of his music. It’s a welcoming space, with huge glass windows making for a bright, welcoming atmosphere.

Rain Bar pub in Manchester
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Rain Bar

This huge three-floor pub, formerly a Victorian warehouse, then an umbrella factory (hence the name), has one of the city centre’s largest beer gardens. The two-tier terrace overlooks the Rochdale canal and what used to be the back of the Hacienda, providing an unusual, historic view of the city.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Briton’s Protection

Standing on the corner of a junction opposite The Bridgewater Hall, The Briton’s Protection is Manchester’s oldest pub. It has occupied the same spot since 1795, going under the equally

Castlefield Gallery, Manchester
Castlefield
Gallery
Castlefield Gallery

The influential Castlefield Gallery sits at the edge of Manchester’s exciting Castlefield district, an ideal home for thought-provoking contemporary art.

What's on: Theatre

Culture Guides

Star Nhà Ease
Cinema in the North

July's cinema highlights include spotlights on international cinema, a new cult classic, plus a visit from one of our favourite directors.

Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre in the North

Summer signals theatre festivals, world premieres and open-air spectacle - from MIF25 to comedy, outdoor circus and beyond, here’s what we’re looking forward to.

European Poetry Festival European Camarade
Literature Events in the North

From tongue-twisters to twisty page-turners, we have all kinds of spoken word surprises in the latest literature round-up.