Boudicca and a wartime bike chase – the new-look Kynren

AN epic tale of England has promised a bigger and better show in its second year.
Kynren will return to the shadow of Auckland Castle in three months’ time and rehearsals are in full swing.
Hundreds of extra volunteers, many from the dale, have been recruited for its second season with the hope of building on last summer’s 100,000 visitors.
Teams behind the live, open-air show have scrutinised last year’s efforts promising more special effects, pyrotechnics and phased surround sound.
Creative director Steve Boyd said: “We are adding a lot of little things to the show this year. It’s not a mystery now as our cast have performed in front of 8,000 people.
“It’s making sure we stage the show in a way that makes it as spectacular as possible.
“Our goal is to make it incrementally better every year so it becomes an annual event for people in the area.”
Celtic queen Boudicca is the most notable addition to take to the 7.5-acre arena this year. Her scene has been painstakingly developed with an extravagant new costume and the training of Eleven Arches’ elegant Lusitano performance horses to rear up on cue alongside an array of pyrotechnics.
Joining queen Boudicca for 2017 will be Cardinal Wolsey, a wartime motorcycle chase and many other new additions.
Bunraku puppetry is also to appear this summer alongside new cast animals including a donkey, three goats and a Durham shorthorn ox.
A team of 70 teenage volunteers have also been drafted in to boost the show’s cast beyond four figures.
Mr Boyd added: “We want to keep them super busy and super active so they grow older and go into other parts of the show. That is a huge legacy thing for us.”
Stable manager Laurie Robinson and international eventer Anna Warnecker will continue to oversee the cast of more than 30 horses.
International driver Geoff Brown will have six horses in hand come the opening night.
Traversing more than 2,000 years of British history, Kynren’s second season will begin on July 1 and will run on Friday and Saturday nights until September 16 with a special Sunday performance on August 27. Tickets are now on sale – for more information go to elevenarches.org