After more than 40 performances across the UK, a filmed version of dance theatre show Shed Stories will be available to stream online for free from 9th November – 31st January. Filmed on location at Broadstairs Town Shed in Kent, winner of the 2022 UK Men’s Shed of the Year award, Shed Stories explores the rise of community spaces Men’s Sheds in a heartwarming and humorous filmed performance combining theatre, movement and documentary. To mark Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month and International Men’s Day on 19th November, Casson & Friends, with support from the UK Men’s Sheds Association, are inviting individuals, groups, and community organisations around the world to watch Shed Stories together. A free downloadable “chat sheet”, developed in collaboration with wellbeing & mental health consultancy, Reset & Reframe, provides questions and conversation starters inspired by the performance.
With upwards of 1200 Men’s Sheds currently operating in the UK, choreographer Tim Casson combines interviews with movement to celebrate the importance of these warm and lively community spaces, where men come together to make, repair and repurpose. Currently completing its fourth UK Tour, Shed Stories highlights the joy and camaraderie of these shared spaces, especially for an ageing population. It explores how Men’s Sheds support mental health, tackle loneliness, and offer opportunities to swap woodwork skills, have a cup of tea, and create something useful for themselves and their communities. A heartwarming, and charming film about community, connection and the little things that keep us going, the production and subsequent film have been created using interviews with the people who attend and organise these community spaces across the country, whittled down from 24 hours of recordings – with set elements crafted by Tim’s dad, Alan Casson, in his local Men’s Shed.
While the film is completely free to watch, audiences who enjoy the performance are invited to make an optional donation, with all contributions shared equally between Casson & Friends and the UK Men’s Sheds Association, supporting their ongoing work in creativity, community and connection.
The production follows Casson & Friends’ ethos of creating work that is people powered, interactive and joyful, reflecting and supporting communities. Shed Stories emerged from previous show The Allotment Project, and has toured England through 2025 and 2026. Tim holds a Guinness World Record for most choreographers on one piece of dance, the community sourced 152, created as part of ongoing project The Dance WE Made, which has created over 130 dances in 10 countries since 2012. Tim’s previous work includes the Young Associates programme at Sadler’s Wells and Public Health England and Disney’s Train Like A Jedi programme to encourage fitness in young people.
Creator Tim Casson said, “We’ve had the privilege of visiting many Men’s Sheds, and hearing extraordinary stories from the people who make these communities what they are. Our performance, Shed Stories is built entirely from those conversations, and it’s been wonderful to share them with audiences in theatres, village halls and sheds themselves. Throughout the tour, we’ve also received requests from Shedders much further afield, including as far away as Australia, asking how they could see the performance. That’s been a real motivation for creating the film, allowing us to share these stories with people and communities we simply couldn’t reach in person. We hope it makes people laugh, perhaps moves them a little, and most importantly, gives them something to talk about over a cup of tea.”
Casson & Friends was founded in 2012. With a passion for bringing dance to people in new and unusual contexts, C&F’s work to date has been presented in a range of settings including shopping centres, libraries, hotels, pubs, offices, football stadiums and even nuclear bunkers. C&F also explore the potential of digital technology to create new ways of enhancing and engaging with dance performance. The company has presented work across the UK and Internationally including at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Glastonbury Festival, Brighton Digital Festival, bOing International Family Festival, The Lyon Biennale, Downtown Dance Festival in New York, Festival Quartiers Danses in Montreal, Harare International Festival of Arts in Zimbabwe, and at West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong. It is an Associate Company at Lincoln Arts Centre, and have previously been Dance East Associate Artist (2018-2022), Associate Company at Pavilion Dance South West (2013-2015) and Dance Digital (2014-15). Tim was a QuestLab Artist at Studio Wayne McGregor (2019), a Metal Change Maker Artist (2017-18).
More about the Men’s Sheds Association can be found at menssheds.org.uk