Volunteer archers performing in County Durham live action night show, ‘Kynren – an epic tale of England’ are fired up after taking part in a special training session delivered by an esteemed combat trainer.
Over 150 volunteers undertook their first fire training session using arrows and sticks at the weekend, under the direction of experienced Eleven Arches trainer, Mark Hindman Smith, an actor, writer, historian and skilled combat trainer who runs seven stage combat schools across the North of England. Mark is training Eleven Arches volunteers in a range of combat skills ready for the Kynren, but also for use in the world of film and TV and other live performances.
The volunteers will use their new found skills as they perform as archers as part of a cast and crew of over 600 taking part in Kynren, the UK’s most spectacular live action night show since the opening of the 2012 Olympics which opens on 02 July for 14 summer shows.
Anne-Isabelle Daulon, CEO of Eleven Arches, said: “Kynren presents a unique opportunity for people from the community to undertake professional training from world-class experts in everything from choreography to combat and pyrotechnics to horse-riding. The first fire training session delivered by Mark Hindman Smith went very well and we look forward to seeing our fire shooting archers in action on 02 July.”
Kynren will take audiences on a spellbinding journey through British history. Taking place on a 7.5 acre landscaped stage (equivalent to five football pitches, with a full-size lake at its centre) against the backdrop of Auckland Castle, the dazzling production will immerse audiences in a captivating story that stretches across 2,000 years, encompassing Roman times, the Viking invasions, the Industrial Revolution and Second World War, with ships and a steam train, mass choreography, mesmerising pyrotechnics and spectacular lighting and water effects.
Involving more than 1,000 volunteers as cast and crew, who have undergone professional training by the best of the best, including Steve Boyd, a key figure in the choreography of the London 2012 opening ceremony, Kynren is expected to attract nightly audiences of up to 8,000.
Tickets are on sale with prices starting at £25 for adults and £19 for children. For more information, go to www.kynren.co.uk or call 0844 581 1252. Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge.