Kynren

Kynren - "An Epic Tale of England" (/kɪnrɛn/) is a live outdoor show[1] which takes place on Eleven Arches Flatts Farm near Auckland Castle,[2] located in Bishop Auckland, in North East England. The performance depicts important moments from British tradition and history across 2000 years, including the Roman conquest of Britain, King Arthur's search for the Holy Grail, and Winston Churchill's "We shall fight on the beaches" speech during WW2,[3] amongst many others which form the 90 minute show.

Kynren
A view of Flatts Farm, the venue for Kynren, taken from Bishop Auckland.
BeginsEnd of June
EndsMiddle of September
VenueFlatts Farm, Bishop Auckland
Capacity8,000 viewers
AreaBishop Auckland, County Durham, England
WebsiteMain site

Kynren 2022 will run on Saturdays through the summer months - 6 Aug to 10 Sept [4] There is an additional performance on Friday 3 June to honour the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. Gates open at least two and a half hours before the start of each show and guests arriving in good time will be treated to a fantastic live jazz concert staged on the adjacent lake, whilst enjoying a bite to eat and drinks from the bar or new food court.

Kynren is run by the charity Eleven Arches[5] and the majority of the cast and crew are volunteers, with over 1000 taking part.[6] The show was inspired by and has similar themes to the French Puy du Fou theme park and show.[5]

Plot
The crown gathered in front of the grandstand where they are serving food in 2021
100s of actors on stage in masks during the 2021 production

The show is narrated by a fictional ten-year-old boy named Arthur who travels back through time to witness various pivotal events from the history of Great Britain, with a soft focus on Northern England.

History

The endowment to create Kynren was donated by philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer in 2014[7] and the first public performance occurred on 2 July 2016.[8] The show will enter its sixth season in the summer of 2022.[6]

The 2020 season of Kynren was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.[9] During the cancelled season, Jonathan Ruffer sponsored the costs to keep the site running and ready for the next season.[10]

Awards

Kynren, Eleven Arches, and the volunteers have won various awards including:

The Park

In 2021, the Eleven Arches team opened 11Arches Park which showcases a number of outdoor attractions and smaller live-shows which run on show days, leading up to the main event.[15]

The Park was originally planned to open in 2020, however the 2020 season and all shows was cancelled due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.[9] Shows continued in 2021 and will open for the summer season 2022

The park opened with a maze/ library show, live music, and a new children's playground. 11Arches Park also has a large food court, serving a variety of food types.

2021 also saw the introduction of the day-time show “Fina and The Golden Cape”,[16]which was a primary attraction within the park. Audience members observed as a young woman named Fina fight to defend her village- with pyrotechnics, horse stunts and advanced combat routines filling the show on the 7.5 acre stage, also used for Kynren.

The Kynren website describes Fina and The Golden Cape as having “ jousting, trick-riding, vaulting and chariot-racing”, which are preformed by highly trained Stunt riders.[16]

References
  1. "Kynren Experience". www.kynren.com. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  2. "Kynren: how to find us". Kynren.com. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  3. "Kynren: 2,000 years of British history in one quirky show". The Independent. 2016-07-25. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  4. "Book Tickets for Kynren". www.kynren.com. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  5. "Our Story". elevenarches.org. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  6. "Northern Echo, Kynren Season Four".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. "Benefactor plans theme park for Bishop Auckland". ITV News. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  8. Whetstone, David (2016-07-03). "£30m Kynren history production in Durham receives standing ovation". nechronicle. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  9. "Season 2020". www.kynren.com. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  10. "Open-air history show cancelled over virus doubts". BBC News. 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  11. Durham, Business. "Kynren wins the prestigious Queen's Award for Voluntary Service". www.businessdurham.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  12. "Kynren wins Innovation in Tourism Award at 2018 Group Travel Awards". UKinbound. 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  13. Hodgson, Barbara (2019-08-06). "Award for Kynren as disabled and deaf viewers praise experience". nechronicle. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  14. "Kynren Picks Up Green Tourism Award". www.kynren.com. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  15. "The Park". www.kynren.com. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  16. "Fina and The Golden Cape". 11Arches.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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