What's New For Kynren's 10th Anniversary
Bishop Auckland's one-of-a-kind spectacle, Kynren, has always been a celebration of history
On a seven-and-a-half acre outdoor stage, more than 1,000 volunteers and 150 animals transport you through 2,000 years of history and legends in 90 minutes in Kynren – An Epic Tale of England. It’s as spectacular as it sounds, with stunts, special effects, pyrotechnics and a powerful soundtrack all supporting thrilling choreography and a beautifully-told story. It’s attracted visitors from far and wide to Bishop Auckland’s Flatts Farm for a decade, and CEO Anna Warnecke was there right at the beginning.
‘We were very intrigued by it all and wanted to be involved in some capacity, and I started training horses and riders as an outside expert from the very beginning,’ she says. ‘Looking back, in the first year we were all intrigued and happy to be involved, but very sceptical about whether anything like this could ever really even happen in the first place – and then survive for a long time. That’s the exciting part now, when you’re 10 years on and the whole organisation has grown, the show has grown, and quite a few of our volunteers have been here since the first season. We like to reflect on that over a drink and think about the first season. It’s so exciting to see how everyone has grown in their roles and see the show stronger and better than ever.’
Anna puts Kynren’s popularity down to the spirit and passion of the Archers (Kynren’s volunteers). ‘It’s something you cannot measure in any way or form,’ she says. ‘The feeling is so apparent, as soon as you walk onto the site, that everyone has so much passion for the project and is emotionally so involved, and wants you to have a great time as a visitor, and you can feel that. It’s not just on stage but also when you’re talking to anyone in the team.’
Kynren has always been keen to adapt the show and each year aims to be bigger and better (last year quite literally with the addition of Cosmo, a rare grey shire horse who stands at a whopping 1.89m). They also added a Viking village as a pre-show attraction. ‘I think moving forward and evolving is really important for any organisation, and that includes us,’ says Anna. ‘Obviously it gives a new interest for someone who has been here before and also keeps the interest for everyone who is involved on our side to keep improving and evolving.’
More than 3,000 props feature in the production, including Kynren’s replica of Locomotion No 1, which this year celebrates the 200th anniversary of the nearby Stockton and Darlington Railway, the birthplace of the modern railway. Plus, this year, Kynren is reimagining its memorable Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Parade. It will now feature more than 150 performers and more than 20 horses who will bring Victorian society back to life. ’It’s one of our most complicated scenes and also has the most people involved in it,’ Anna says. ‘It’s a big scene to change. We changed all the music, projections, lighting, choreography, props – everything is new. It’s been so much fun to rehearse it and it just looks absolutely beautiful.’
A new baby goat has also joined the cast this year. The British Saanen goat, Snowdrop (named by Kynren fans), has been charming the team during rehearsals. ‘We have a lovely volunteer on the animal team who spent lots of time with her, and now the goat trusts her completely and even with the fireworks there’s no stress whatsoever,’ says Anna. ‘It’s a journey that you go on with them from a timid animal to becoming a really forward goat, in this case, who loves having all he attention. It’s lovely to see that training come into fruition and seeing them on stage is really rewarding for everyone involved.’
Henry VIII once announced a decree that women were not allowed to joust and audiences might assume the team of nine jousters at Kynren are men, but in fact there’s a female-strong horse-riding team, which Anna volunteers to be part of. ‘This team is a very committed team,’ she says. ‘They’re here a lot for training but also to help train the animals. So even if we need to train an animal to make noise on stage, they’ll always be there to help to make sure the animals are trained in the best possible way. Because most of the riders in history were possibly men, there’s an expectation of people thinking these riders are most likely men. It’s a fun fact that you don’t expect! They’re female but certainly very capable of doing everything.’
Anna says her favourite part of the live shows is the backstage antics. ‘It’s so exciting,’ she says, ‘whether it’s the jousting horses turning around, riders taking their flags down and giving the lanterns out, or whether it’s a team member (young or elderly) running backstage to get into the next scene. Some of them wear up to three costumes on top of each other to do really quick changes. The atmosphere backstage is electrifying – it’s manic but beautiful. Then on-stage it looks so calm, and everything happens so smoothly.’
It’s clear how important Kynren is to the North East, in many ways. ‘Firstly for many of our volunteers it may help against isolation,’ says Anna. ‘The other big thing is the region in itself. We have a real chance in Bishop Auckland, and the North East, to shine with beautiful visitor attractions and we need to make the North East a destination for visitors to come from further away to spend the night here and see all of our beautiful attractions. There’s a real buzz about the attractions working together to give us a real chance. We’re very excited about the immediate future and maybe in another 10 years time when we look back again – I feel we might just be on the edge of our next chapter now.’
Development has now begun on a brand-new historical theme park, Kynren – The Storied Lands, which is planned to open next summer as a daytime attraction within the wider Kynren park. ‘It’s a whole day of historic live action attractions for anyone who comes to visit,’ Anna explains. ‘It gives you the opportunity to be a part of a show called The Legend of the Wear which is the Lambton Worm story retold. It’s a beautiful tale that’s very local to us. Then we have a medieval show, formally called Fina, which features stunt riding and jousting. Then we have the Viking village and in addition to that, a Viking show. We will also have a Victorian village called Flambards which we just acquired from the South. There’s more than 50 sets which will be rebuilt on site and they will form the backdrop to an immersive Victorian show where you will literally step into the streets of Victorian England. We also have The Lost Feather which is all about a dream of flying and the connection between humans and birds.
‘We’ll have many different aspects to explore, and of course if it’s a Saturday night you can stay in the evening and watch Kynren as well!’
For now, visitors to Bishop Auckland can look forward to Kynren’s 10th anniversary shows this summer. ‘If you’ve never seen it before you will not expect any of it,’ says Anna. ‘You will definitely have goosebumps and want to see it again very quickly. For anyone who has seen it before, there’s lots more to explore.’
