From frightening visitors at Alton Towers and The London Dungeon to entertaining audiences at Disneyland Paris and appearing in major film productions, former NPTC Group of Colleges Performing Arts students are demonstrating how the skills developed through the College’s annual Scare Maze can lead to a wide range of professional opportunities.
Every October, the College’s Performing Arts studios are transformed into an immersive horror experience, giving students the chance to develop characterisation, improvisation, physical theatre and audience-interaction skills in a live performance environment. Far more than a Halloween attraction, the Scare Maze provides practical experience in a specialist area of the industry where many performers gain their first professional credits.
The Scare Maze returns on Wednesday, 21 and Thursday, 22 October 2026, when Newtown College students and staff will once again be invited to brave a dark and twisted labyrinth brought to life by Performing Arts students.
The value of that experience is reflected in the achievements of former students. Nathan Blees who progressed from college to Mountview Drama School and has since worked at Alton Towers Scarefest, appeared in The Rise of the Krays and featured in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Charlie Mark and Bethan Margetts gained scare-performance experience at The Silver Mountain Experience before progressing into careers in theatre, live performance and screen work. Amy Richards went on to perform at The London Dungeon, while Millie Davies and Joshua Owen secured roles at Scare City, with Joshua later joining the internationally recognised Emergence Dance programme.
These success stories show how immersive performance can provide an alternative route into the industry, helping young performers build confidence, professional experience and industry contacts before progressing into careers across theatre, film, television, dance and live entertainment.
For visitors, the Scare Maze promises another thrilling Halloween experience. For students, it offers something even more valuable: the opportunity to turn classroom learning into real-world performance experience and, potentially, the first step towards a professional career.
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