Kynren


Kynren - "An Epic Tale of England" is a live outdoor show which takes place on Eleven Arches Flatts Farm near Auckland Castle, located in Bishop Auckland, in North East England. The performance depicts important moments from British tradition and history, 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. Kynren generally runs on Saturdays through the summer months Kynren is run by the Charity Eleven Arches and the majority of the cast and crew are volunteers, with over 1000 currently taking part. The show was inspired by and has similar themes to the french Puy du Fou theme park and show.

Plot

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 and the first public performance occurred on the 2nd of July 2016. The show will enter its fifth season in the summer of 2021.
The 2020 season of Kynren was cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak. During the cancelled season, Jonathan Ruffer sponsored the costs to keep the farm running and ready for the next season.

Awards

Kynren, Eleven Arches, and the volunteers have won various awards including:
In 2021, the Eleven Arches team plan to open "The Park", which will include a number of outdoor attractions and smaller live-shows which will run on show days, leading up to the main event.
Plans for the park include a horseback stunt show, a maze, live music, and a new children's playground.
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.