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We sat down for a quick chat with Tim Casson about his latest project. The rise of community spaces Men’s Sheds is explored in a performance combining theatre, movement and documentary.

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Tim, you’ve created work in all sorts of unexpected places – but this time you’ve brought your inspiration from Men’s Sheds. What first sparked your interest in this phenomenon?

Before Shed Stories was even an idea, I had been thinking about ageing and getting older. Thinking about my Dad and myself as men who don’t really go to the pub, and who don’t really like sport or football – so began questioning – what is there for men to do when you’re not into these things that are typically considered masculine?

Then, when we were working on our previous show; The Allotment Project, I came across Men’s Sheds. And I saw that these communal creative spaces were also being used as a way of tackling loneliness and isolation. It really caught my imagination, it felt like something important I wanted to know more about, and that other people should know more about too!

The first thing I did was go to Shed Fest – an annual event run by the UK Men’s Sheds Association – to really immerse myself in the world of sheds! I was amazed by the passion and the creativity, and found that many conversations started about the activities that happened in these sheds (building bird boxes, and repairing stuff…) – but very quickly moved into mental health and the positive impact that these spaces have had on the people that attend. I suddenly had loads of questions, and so it fortified my desire to make Men’s Sheds the subject matter of the next production. 

 Shed Stories explores themes like mental health, aging, and the joy of making. How did dance become the language to tell this story?

Working with a blend of forms in the show (dance, theatre, documentary), means that there are a few different languages that we can use to communicate.

The performers might be speaking, or dancing, and sometimes both at the same time –  other times you might hear a recording of some of the people we spoke to – so it’s really fun deciding what form each section takes, and how each idea is best communicated. 

As a director/choreographer, dance is my main language – and it’s great – but it’s not always the clearest way to communicate everything; and words are clear, but can sometimes be very dense if there’s a lot of information. 

Being able to switch modes throughout the production, hopefully makes for a really interesting experience for the audience, that balances this real emotional content – with a more poetic movement element. It’s unusual but it works!

There’s a lovely sense of warmth and camaraderie in Men’s Sheds. How have you tried to capture that atmosphere in the performance?

The first thing is scale, I visited some really massive Men’s Sheds that have loads of space, but most of the time they are quite small – so our performance space is about 3m x 5m, which makes it incredibly intimate. It is also ‘in the round’ with the audience on all sides, so it feels like we’re welcoming people into our shed for the performance! 

This proximity also changes how the interaction is with the performers; the performers are really talking to the audience from the moment they come in, making eye contact, and making sure that everyone feels welcome and comfortable – it really feels like everyone’s in it together.

I might be a little biased, but what also helps is that the performers (Matthew Winston & Deepraj Singh) are completely brilliant, relatable and likeable! They hadn’t met or worked together before this production, so I was incredibly lucky that they hit it off so well. And the relationship that they have both on stage and off stage is really fun, the banter between them becomes an important texture within the show, and so we hope the whole thing feels very human and warm – just like the sheds we’ve visited!

 You’ve been making dance and multi-disciplinary work with communities for over a decade. What keeps you excited about bringing art into everyday spaces?

When Casson & Friends first started in 2012, we were really interested in putting dance in unusual places, particularly into ‘public space’, to question the nature of these spaces – and ask the question “Why can’t you dance here?” in a shopping centre, a pub, or the middle of a park – why does it always have to be in a theatre?

As I started to become more interested in and create work about specific communities, it became less about placing performances in an unexpected context, and more about being able to bring performances to people and communities who maybe wouldn’t usually be able to access or engage with performance – particularly dance.

Sometimes seeing a show can feel quite exclusive or even intimidating – ticket prices are often really expensive, and actually a lot of people don’t live near a theatre or performance venue.

With Shed Stories, we’re touring to a mix of venues; small theatres, community spaces, and even some Men’s Sheds! We design our shows to be really portable and flexible, so it means that we’re able to bring performance to people where they are, rather than always asking them to come to a theatre! 

I’m particularly excited about our show in London at London Bubble on 22/23rd October, because they have the Rotherhithe Shed in the same building – and so audience members on that evening will be able to see the performance and then also visit the Shed and meet some of the shedders! 

What do you hope audiences will take away after seeing Shed Stories?

I guess there’s 3 main things! From a social point of view, my dream is that people will see the show and love Men’s Sheds as much as I do, and want to join or support – or at least to tell a family member, a friend or a neighbour. They’re really amazing, inspiring and valuable communities that make such a difference to so many people’s lives – and so I want more people to know about them!

Secondly, from an artistic point of view, I love dance – so I also hope that any folks who are coming more for the themes of the show will leave saying, “Dance is great, those performers are amazing, and I’ve had a really good time!”

And finally, even though Shed Stories is all through the specific lens of Men’s Sheds, the show does still raise lots of broader societal questions about ageing, mental health, creativity, loneliness, and masculinity. I hope that it starts some of these important conversations that people (especially men) might not always feel comfortable to have – so if the performance can provide a way into these conversations – then that’s wonderful!