Content warning [May contain spoilers]

Set in 1989, The Hand That Feeds unfolds over the week following the death of a father in a working-class Irish Catholic family in Merseyside.

From the Sunday evening of his death to the morning of his funeral, seven siblings are forced back under one roof, where grief quickly gives way to old resentments, rivalries, and unspoken truths.

As each sibling struggles to cope in their own way, the family’s carefully maintained façade begins to fracture, exposing cycles of abuse, emotional repression, and the lasting impact of authoritarian parenting. Looming over the household is the unseen presence of the mother, always upstairs or just out of sight.

Darkly funny, deeply claustrophobic, and emotionally raw, the play is an exploration of inherited trauma, sibling relationships, and the enduring grip of religion, memory, and family obligation.

This production is suitable for ages 16 and over.