Deathly drive-through in St Austell this Halloween

Scare-seekers are in luck this Halloween, as acting students from Cornwall College bring an interactive horror experience like no other to St Austell.

Members of the public are invited to immerse themselves in the deathly drive-through performance ‘Descent into Darkness’ at Cornwall College St Austell on Friday 30^th October 2020.

Audience members can expect to be plunged into the promenade performance as highly successful, uniquely chosen archaeologists, who are invited to the reopening of an old Cornish mine where something horrific had previously happened.

Performing Arts Lecturer, Lydia Day, said it’s “inspiring” to see the “creativity and commitment our actors are putting into this performance”.

“The storytelling within the show is clever and the scares are on a whole new level. We’ve been rehearsing relentlessly as the careful timing is imperative to the success of the performances,” She added.

To adhere to social distancing rules, the students have come up with a unique concept for the 20 minute performance, with audience members experiencing the horror from the safety of their own vehicles.

“Our learners are trained to overcome obstacles and be solution-focused, as this very much reflects the evolving nature of creative work within the industry,” Lydia continued.

“We’re excited by the performance challenges that we’re facing under these new rules and enjoy having a platform which allows us to test our innovation and perceptive vision.”

A series of continuous performances will take place throughout the evening of Friday 30^th October, reflective of the high-calibre, fast-paced learning experience offered at The Creative and Digital Academy St Austell.

Acting student Natasha Humphreys, said the course “doesn’t just teach me how to act, but shows me the different types of production roles and a wide variety of topics all in a high quality and detailed way.”

“This has been shown clearly in workshops within lessons and in the creation of our first project “horror walk”. This course has really motivated me so far and given me the confidence that the lecturers will support me with my desire to act in these two years,” Natasha continued.

“I’m excited to learn how much I’m capable of.”

Curriculum Area Manager for The Creative & Digital Academy at Cornwall College St Austell, Jess Leonard, said she is “so proud of our student actors” with this years’ Halloween performance looking “better than ever.”

“Being able to adapt to Covid restrictions yet maintain their creative integrity is a tough ask for any actor but our learners are rising to the challenge,” Jess continued.

“The Horror Drive is a perfect example of how high quality training leads to relevant and challenging performative work; we just hope that audiences will be brave enough to attend.”

Come along to ‘Descent into Darkness’, but be warned, the performance is not for the faint hearted.

Friday 30^th October at Cornwall College St Austell. Performances from 5.25pm – 9.35pm. Call 01726 226485 to book your time slot.

Tickets are £5 per person or £12 for a group of 4 in a car. Participants must be 14 years or older.

Audience members can expect to receive further information in the lead up to the show via their email addresses.