Men Don’t Talk represents a dynamic trend in Scottish contemporary theatre, engaging with the lived experiences of communities and raising awareness of an urgent concern. Presented as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival and created in partnership with Scottish Men’s Shed Association and Luminate, writer and director Clare Prenton has developed a script (her first full-length play) that explores issues of male mental health by reflecting on an organisation which offers space for men to buck macho clichés and come together to work and talk.

‘I was finding that I was getting employed as a writer/director on mental-health projects, engaging with people and putting their stories on stage,’ says Prenton. ‘I was asked to work with the Men’s Shed organisation and to hear from the members about what they get out of it. Why do they believe it is such a good wellbeing facility, as well as being a lot of fun?’ From initial workshops, Prenton created a production that gives voice to their experiences through a three-person cast. ‘It’s a pleasure to work like this, to put real stories on stage: this is stuff that really matters to people.’

By focusing on the shed experience, Men Don’t Talk introduces the audience to a fictional version of a male space where the participants discuss and express their feelings, share their challenges and consider how masculinity can be a positive social force. For actor Billy Mack, it has become an important production both artistically and socially. ‘Clare and I have a good working relationship. She told me about the shed project and I thought it sounded brilliant; a place where you could do some joinery work or mechanics. Then I went round to a couple of men’s sheds and found that it is so much more; a social gathering where men who find it hard to share emotions could talk about an awful lot.’

Recognising that loneliness and isolation are pressing issues, especially after the pandemic, Mack expresses a belief in the potential of this kind of engaged theatre. ‘If the play gives a message to someone who then gives a message to somebody else, it can only help,’ he says.

‘For me, the community is where the more interesting stories are,’ Prenton adds. ‘There is so much we don’t talk about in mental health that we can put on stage; to give it a platform to help increase understanding.’ With its tour across Scotland including community halls and even the Scottish Parliament alongside mainstream theatres, Men Don’t Talk is taking its consciousness-raising beyond the usual circuit to energise and further a vital public discussion.

Men Don’t Talk is staged at various venues as part of Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, and tours until Tuesday 19 November; main picture: Inverurie Men's Shed cook off; rehearsal pictures by Mihaela Bodlovic.