The Secret Handshake

GABRIEL and JOHANN have been friends for a long time. They also have dads, like most people. Except their dads die. That’s sad. Then they realise that mortality is real and they come face to face with the stark acknowledgement that their lives have been meaningless for a long time. 

What does it mean to be a good friend? Why do secrets weigh heavier the longer you keep them? And how come no one ever talks about the amount of red tape that comes with losing a parent? When JOHANN and GABRIEL’s dads die on the same day in unrelated boating accidents, their world comes apart, and the only thing they can hold on to is each other.

Having premiered in New York City in 2025, this revamped staging of The Secret Handshake combines character driven storytelling with physical theatre, dark humour, and a boatload-sized pinch of absurdity. The show explores themes of grief, friendship, and what it means to be the son of someone who just doesn’t quite care.

Audience opinion of NY staging: “The direction and the sound design were by far my favorite part! […] I was seeing each scene extremely detailed as if everything was coming to life in front of me (except their fathers).”

Written, directed, produced, and everythinged by Andre Silva and Magnus Rook.

CW: death of a parent, violence, grief, strong language, medical themes