ShedMan – a beautifully crafted and empathetically performed tale of a man who becomes boxed in by his circumstances and his feelings (Keith Singleton at The MAC)

The fourth wall never gets a chance to be erected as the audience enter the Upstairs Theatre in the MAC. John is pottering around his workshop, offering cups of tea and Jammy Dodgers to a lucky few. ShedMan is ultimately as much about the conversation it kicks off between people as it is the performance.

You’re onto a theatrical winner when you combine Keith Singleton’s innate ability to spin a good yarn with Patrick J O’Reilly’s gift as a director of giving actors meaningful things to do while delivering a one-person show. O’Reilly had Tara Lynne O’Neill wandering around an on-stage kitchen frying eggs and cooking spuds during the 2019 and 2020 productions of Shirley Valentine. In Shedman, Singleton plays John Courtesy who works with wooden pallets, mending slats, sanding rough edges, climbing a ladder, and generally keeping humself busy while he fills us in about his sad life and times.

We learn that wee John has been mad about wood and tools from an early age, learning his craft in his grandfather’s shed. There’s a finely honed tale about the young lad’s creative prowess and credibility being tragically undermined by adult incompetence in the case of a 30-foot-tall St Patrick’s Day float that doesn’t live up to expectations. It beautifully sets up John’s decline into depression and despondency.

Despite the subject matter, there’s lots of dark humour and hilarious moments. Wooden pallets are shifted around, at one point unexpectedly forming dominoes. There’s exquisite timing as the bang of a tool or the thud of a falling piece of wood coincides with the punchline of an anecdote. Sawdust sparkles in the light of a torch. Anything that looks accidental has been meticulously planned. That extends to the lamps dotted around the stage, and Larry McGowan’s soundscape. (Bonus songs are available online – Sheddy has a touch of the Van Morrison classic Ring Worm!)

John’s declining mental health is mirrored by his withdrawn living conditions. Ultimately, another type of shed – not much of a spoiler to reveal, a Men’s Shed – offers companionship and hope to a lonely and despondent John.

Singleton’s portrayal of John builds up an enthralling picture of a man who has become boxed in by his circumstances and his feelings and needs the help of other fellow travellers to escape. It’s an empowering show, that’s been beautifully crafted and empathetically performed. Hopefully the story of ShedMan will find a way to be restaged for a longer run after its premiere at The MAC.

Photo credit: James Ward/Lost Lens Caps

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