MEN’S SHED a play by Janette Evans

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“This is a Men’s Shed. It’s in the title – Men. Not women.

It’s not a person shed, or a people’s shed or a whatever you

want shed. No, it’s a Men’s Shed, a place for men”

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What is a Men’s Shed?

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Men’s Sheds (or Sheds) are similar to garden sheds –

a place to pursue practical interests at leisure, to practice skills

and enjoy making and mending. The difference is that garden

sheds and their activities are often solitary in nature while

Men’s Sheds are the opposite. They’re about social connections

and friendship building, sharing skills and knowledge,

and of course a lot of laughter.

Sheds are whatever the members (or Shedders as we call them)

want them to be.

 

Although labelled sheds, they often aren’t sheds at all.

They can be empty offices, portable cabin’s, warehouses,

garages, and in at least one case, a disused mortuary.

Some Sheds are purpose-built workshops,

but they rarely start out that way. Many don’t have premises at all in the beginning and instead form a group that meets regularly for the social connection, company and camaraderie until they can find somewhere to kit out with tools. Many Sheds get involved in community projects too – restoring village features, helping maintain parks and green spaces, and building things for schools, libraries and individuals in need.

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Activities in Sheds vary greatly, but you can usually find woodworking, metalworking, repairing and restoring, electronics, model buildings or even car building in a typical Shed. Sheds typically attract older men, but many have younger members and women too. Whatever the activity, the essence of a Shed is not a building, but the connections and relationships between its members.

For more information go to https://menssheds.org.uk/sheds/

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About the play

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“Men’s Shed” is set in a local Men’s Shed and is a fly on the wall look at the lives of the men in the shed. Each chap is there for his own reasons and brings a different and unique perspective to what life is all about. Tom is the sensible one who is respected by all. Bob is a bit of a joker, or at least he’d like to think he is. Jack is quiet and just tries to fit in without causing too much fuss. Joe can be a grumpy old man but has his reasons. Pete is Pete and

no-one questions his little ways. Dave is new to the shed and not the brightest bulb in the pack.

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Life in the shed brings routine and although not always plain sailing, is generally uneventful until Pete gets a SPATT and she wants to join the shed.

Faced with the thought of a woman joining the shed, the WI, who have lost their venue to asbestos and subsidence, put on their thinking caps to see what they might be able to achieve.

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Notes from the Playwright

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How do men talk to each other? What do they talk about? How can being at a Men’s Shed help? And the over-riding question – Should women be allowed to join the Shed?

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Hopefully the characters will be able to tell you the answers.

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