16-year-olds Stuart Pelling and Ernie Shorten have created a duet called “4 Minutes” that has been selected for one of the UK’s biggest and most prestigious outdoor arts events, Greenwich & Docklands International Festival in London. The pair are members of Porlock-based performance company, Stacked Wonky. 

Bradley Hemmings MBE, the Festival’s Artistic Director, met the boys at Outdoor Arts UK’s annual conference in Bradford earlier this year and later asked them to join the Festival alongside 12 other UK and international dance companies.  They will perform in Canary Wharf on 9 and 10 September.

To celebrate what has become a wider 2023 tour taking in Taunton, Barnstaple and Plymouth, the boys will premiere 4 Minutes – a physically explosive duet reporting back on the monotony, irrationality and brilliance of young life in just 4 minutes – at East Quay on Thursday 6 April at 7 pm and 7.45 pm.  The performance marks a first collaboration between Stacked Wonky and the Onion Collective at East Quay.  

Artistic Director of Stacked Wonky, Sarah Shorten, said: “4 Minutes is a joyous success story and we’re delighted East Quay are getting behind Stuart and Ernie’s achievement by giving local audiences a chance to enjoy what they’ve created.  

“It’s incredibly rare to witness a performance made by young artists break through on the national scene, thus where better to begin than against the dramatic backdrop of East Quay’s iconic building.  It’s particularly poignant for Stuart, who lives a few streets away from the harbour in Watchet.  The boys and East Quay both fly a flag for West Somerset as a centre of creative excellence.”

In conjunction with the premiere, the Onion Collective has  supported Stacked Wonky to offer a free parkour and choreographic workshop for 9- to 16-year-olds in Watchet on Wednesday 5 April between 11 am and 3 pm – all abilities welcome.  This will give local youngsters an opportunity to try out some of the skills in 4 Minutes and potentially follow in Stuart and Ernie’s footsteps.  Stuart said: “I love parkour and being part of Stacked Wonky has given me a creative way to use my skills.  It’s a brilliant opportunity to perform in 4 Minutes – more people should do it!”  To register an interest in the workshop, please contact [email protected].

Stuart and Ernie have both been part of Stacked Wonky’s Academy programme, a weekly series of workshops and laboratories where those aged 5 to 18 can learn the art of site-specific performance making, for over five years.  Based in Porlock and Old Cleeve, the company currently welcomes over 50 youngsters, 50% of whom are boys.  If you’d like to know more about the Academy programme, contact [email protected].

Meanwhile, a second Hinkley Point C (HPC) community fund grant has boosted performance and career training for Stacked Wonky.

It takes the total received since May of last year by the Stacked Wonky team to £15,000 from the fund which is managed by Somerset Community Foundation.

Stacked Wonky puts on professional dance performances ‘anywhere but the stage’ across Somerset, including unexpected locations such as the Somerset West and Taunton Council offices, in Taunton. 

It also runs academies for children and teenagers in the area and has become an important provider of dance training in Somerset.

The company aims to benefit the community by enhancing cohesion as well as building the confidence of young people.

Sarah Shorten, from Stacked Wonky, said: “Currently, we run two weekly academies for young people aged five to 18 in Porlock and Old Cleeve, both of which are full and have had waiting lists since September, 2021.

“And we are delighted that over half of those attending are boys, many of whom might not necessarily align with or respond well to the traditional educational system at school.

“It is important to note there is a limited offer in the way of drama or performing arts in our part of Somerset.

“There is a specialist drama lesson just once a week for years seven and eight at two middle schools in West Somerset, GCSE dance and drama were both removed from the curriculum at West Somerset College in 2016, and as that is the only secondary provider for the whole of the region, career-building choices for creatives and young artists have been severely affected.”

Community foundation senior programmes manager Amelia Thompson said: “This is an exciting project to develop young people’s aspirations in the arts.

“Stacked Wonky identifies and responds to the needs of young people to nurture specific skills, access training, and apprenticeships, and it helps them to gain more advanced, hands-on experience across all aspects of professional performance-making.

“It is a site-specific dance theatre company running academies for young people, but they also open up access to the world of professional theatre, work experience, and careers advice.

“They build skills in, and the self-esteem of, young people in West Somerset, working closely with the local colleges and schools to share knowledge to ensure young people can access best pathways for the future.”

HPC senior stakeholder relations manager Andrew Cockcroft said: “We are really pleased that this latest grant will help the team at Stacked Wonky continue their good work.”

Stacked Wonky opened a more accessible office and studio in Porlock in 2021 due to its growing success in working with local businesses, educators, and families.

It led to a number of collaborations, including Porlock Tree Toddlers, a creative, forest school-inspired learning environment for local families struggling to travel to groups further afield.

The foundation has awarded grants worth more than £100,000 from the HPC community fund’s small grants programme since May, 2022.

The programme gives up to £5,000, £10,000 over three years, for charities, voluntary groups, and social enterprises which normally operate on less than £100,000 per year.

There is also an open grants programme for larger applications, typically more than £10,000, details of which are available by visiting www.hpcfunds.co.uk.

Anybody who wants to discuss a project or idea should contact Amelia Thompson by emailing [email protected] or calling 01749 344949.