Outdoor Performance of the History of England - Kynren

In the middle of August, I visited the outdoor performance of Kynren. It is located in County Durham. This performance, which takes its name from "kin" or "family", shows the history of England through the ages spanning 2000 years and is told in ninety minutes through the eyes of a central boy character who time-travels to the different ages. The performance takes place on Saturday nights over the summer months only, and it ends with an epic fireworks finale. Visitors sit in an outdoor auditorium, which is open to the elements; the show will continue rain or shine, so visitors are at mercy of the weather. I recommend the show.

Upon arrival before the performance, I had a quick look around. The auditorium seats appears like a huge fortress from the back. 

There was an area that looked like a Viking village, which I expected to be open but was not. Before the show, I had a curry pasty.

I purchased VIP seats, which are the expensive ones in the middle. The seats have a little more room than the standard seating and are padded. I tried to get as near to the top as possible in order to see everything going on.

The story started out with a young boy in the mid-1900s playing a game and coming across a portal in the lake. The portal allows the boy to time travel to the different eras, and the story was told from his view as narrator.

The history of England started with the Romans invading and taking over the land, despite battles with native Britons.

The Vikings also featurd with similar raids.

The spread of Christianity also featured as England had some places of pilgrimage.

Also featured were wars between the English and Scottish.

There were also games and jousting from the medieval times.

Henry VIII made an appearance.

Live animals also featured. Sheep, goats, donkeys, ducks, cattle, and horses. It was all done very well.

Of course, English history had to also have a tribute to the bard Shakespeare. This featured Elizabeth I on a boat and a lit-up lake.

Next, we had Queen Victoria's jubilee.

We had the lgend of King Arthur, and we had a steam train too to symbolise the Industrial Revolution.

There was also a dedication to miners in the area and a mining accident.

The show then concluded with epic fireworks and music.

I recommnd a visit to the performance and really enjoyed it.