Shed Stories asks, what's the best biscuit?

Matthew Winston & Deepraj Singh in Casson and Friends' Shed Stories. Pic: Alisa Boanta

With upwards of 1200 Men’s Sheds currently operating in the UK - encouraging people to come together to make, repair, repurpose and support projects in their local communities - Tim Casson's dance-theatre company Casson and Friends combines interviews with movement to celebrate the importance of these community hubs in UK touring show Shed Stories.

Highlighting the camaraderie of such spaces - especially for an ageing population - the show explores how Men’s Sheds supports mental health, tackle loneliness, offer opportunities to swap woodwork skills, have a cup of tea and create something useful.

Casson and Friends was founded in 2012 to bring dance to people in new and unusual contexts. Tim Casson explained, “From the moment I heard about Men’s Sheds, I was excited by this growing UK phenomenon.

"The more I learned about them, and through my interviews with shedders themselves across the country, I started to see the amazing impact they had - not just on the people that attend, but the communities around them.

"We created Shed Stories not only to reflect these amazing spaces, but also to ask bigger questions about mental health, ageing, communities, the joy of creating, what it means to be a man... and what’s the best biscuit?"

Touring to theatres and community spaces across England, Shed Stories' northern dates are: Harrogate Theatre (November 4); Sheffield University Drama Studio (November 6); The Stockroom, Merseyway, Stockport (November 7) and Touchstones in The Esplanade, Rochdale (November 8).

More about the show here

More about the Mens' Sheds organisation here