Over Halloween, Puxton Park hosted their annual scare fest to haunt and spook the public. This year’s event, ‘Phobia’, was not only a great opening to the spooky season, but it also allowed students to practice their skills and develop their confidence.

Learners from Music, Hair and Media Makeup, and Performing Arts helped with the event, putting their knowledge into practice to make it even more fearful for the public.

Phobia featured multiple attractions tailored to create a thrilling and immersive horror experience, with different themed scare zones and interactive performances. There was also a VIP Tractor ride, live music, and food and drink available.

Some of the Music students performed in live bands, whilst others worked as stage crew, assisting with the full setup and takedown of equipment and managing the lighting and sound engineering. This ensured a seamless production and created a live show like no other, keeping their audience entertained whilst showing off their talent.

Oz Cahill, one of our Music lecturers, says, “events like Phobia are imperative to give young people that are interested in performance and events the opportunity to work with professionals from the industry and learn vital skills to enhance their future. They are also very valuable networking opportunities.”

Our Hair and Media Makeup students also went above and beyond in creating a night to remember by ensuring that all the actors were scare-ready for the event, spending 2.5 hours each night applying makeup for 40+ actors.

‘Phobia’ gave the UCW Hair and Media Makeup students the chance to plan a project independently, considering budgets and time frames but also flex their creativity and have fun. It also gave Weston College students the chance to assist with the execution of the event, build up some work experience, and see first-hand what a university course in Hair and Media Makeup is all about.

Tara O’Hare, one of our Hair and Media Makeup lecturers, says, "I would like to say that the students work so hard in bringing this event to life!

They are professional and imaginative in their delivery of skills and techniques. They work to a pre-set budget (which isn’t always easy), and they work as a team to ensure everyone involved has a great experience.”

And finally, our Performing Arts students gave outstanding performances, embodying their roles as scare actors in various roles in order to enhance the immersive, horror experience for the public.

‘Phobia’ provided the Performing Arts students the chance to practice high-intensity character work, improvisation skills, and guest interaction, improving their confidence and skills in a fun and expressive environment, whilst also giving them invaluable work experience.

Jade Hicks, the Head of Performance and Production at Weston College, says, “all learners had to problem solve, be solution focused and think quickly on the spot and adapt to various situations.

The students were eager to apply their skills in a real-world setting and enjoyed the challenge of working within a themed, immersive environment.”

For our students, Phobia allows students to develop industry-based skills, put their knowledge into practice with the public, make networking connections, and it helps them to understand the expectations and requirements of their desired field of work. Plus, it’s a lot of fun!

Well done to all the students who took part in the event, you were spook-tastic!

We’d also like to thank Puxton Park for providing us with opportunities for collaboration that will further enrich our students' education and professional readiness.

If you are interested in joining our Music, Performing Arts, or Hair and Media Makeup CEH areas in September, click here.