THE SPOOKY SHIP Returns to Port at Bristol Old Vic

The Spooky Ship is returning to Bristol this Halloween for its fifth year, taking inspiration from the SS Great Britain's history and bringing the ship vividly to life as professional actors roam the decks and ghostly figures stalk the corridors. The performance will centre on the true story of long-serving and well-loved Captain Gray who disappeared from his ship in the dead of night leaving a bereft crew and an abandoned family waiting in vain for his return.

This year, Bristol Old Vic and SS Great Britain are proud to welcome 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. BAMM is headed by world-renowned Oscar and BAFTA-winning Makeup Designer Peter Swords King and top Fashion Makeup Designer Gozra Lozano.

Alongside his BAMM students, sculptor, model maker and prosthetics designer Darren Longthorne will be assisting in the application of the performers' make-up and effects. Darren's 25 years in the business have seen him achieve a phenomenal list of credits including Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones, Wrath of the Titans and Shameless.

Bristol-based magician Peter Clifford joins the team as magic consultant and will share his expertise of close-up magic with the performers. Peter collaborated with renowned illusionist Derren Brown on The Heist(Channel 4) and Brown's Ghost Train at Thorpe Park, and worked as magic consultant on Sally Cookson's stage adaptation of La Strada.

The cast of The Spooky Ship consists of a mix of Bristol's Old Vic's Made in Bristol graduates, who have trained as theatre makers through collaborative work and devising. The show runs from Wed 31 Oct to Sat 3 Nov, with tours setting off every 10 minutes, from 8:00pm onwards.