The Spooky Ship is back again with a brand-new ghost tour this Halloween
7 Oct 2019
Bristol Old Vic and Brunel’s SS Great Britain are back this October with a brand-new take on the iconic The Spooky Ship, an immersive Victorian fright-fest on board one of the most important ships in the world. Taking inspiration from the SS Great Britain’s history, professional actors will roam the decks as ghostly figures in a brand-new storyline centring on the true story of Captain James Hosken, whose fatal error caused the ship to run aground in Dundrum Bay in 1846.
Directed by Bristol Old Vic’s Leverhulme Scholarship recipient Stephanie Kempson and designed by Sam Wilde, the tours will take on an updated format, allowing for larger groups to enjoy longer scenes as they climb on board, with seating possibilities available throughout.
Speaking today, Stephanie said: “I’m thrilled to be back onboard for The Spooky Ship: Shipwrecked!, in the show’s sixth year. Working with expert local designer Sam Wilde is an utter delight, and we can’t wait to bring the history of the SS Great Britain to life for audiences. Expect jump-scares and shocking history revealed.”
Once again, Bristol Old Vic and Brunel’s SS Great Britain are excited to team up with The Bath Academy of Media Makeup (BAMM), who will help bring the spooky characters to life. BAMM is a world-famous teaching academy which has an excellent reputation and specialises in the art of makeup for TV, Film and SFX, headed by world-renowned Oscar and BAFTA-winning Makeup Designer, Peter Swords King and top Fashion Makeup Designer Gozra Lozano.
BAMM students applying make up to Spooky Ship cast, credit: BAMM
This year’s cast and creative team of The Spooky Ship consist of a mix of emerging local artists from Made In Bristol’s recent graduates Play The Goat and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School graduates.
The show runs from Thu 31 Oct to Sat 2 Nov, with tours setting off every 10 minutes from 6.40pm onwards.
Bristol Old Vic is the longest continuously running theatre in the UK, and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2016. The historic playhouse aims to inspire audiences with its own original productions, both at home and on tour, whilst nurturing the next generation of artists, whether that be through their 350-strong Young Company, their many outreach and education projects or their trailblazing artist development programme, Bristol Ferment.
They use their funding to support experiment and innovation, to allow access to their programme for people who would not otherwise encounter it, or be able to afford it, and to keep their extraordinary heritage alive and animated.
On 24 Sep 2018, Bristol Old Vic completed its 2-year multi-million pound redevelopment project, which transformed its front of house space into a warm and welcoming public building for all of Bristol to enjoy, created a new studio theatre and opened up its unique theatrical heritage to the public for the first time.