Industry News

Full of sparks, sword fights and sheep, Kynren’s cast and crew is putting together the finishing touches at its pre-show entertainment experience for its 2024 season.

Audiences at this year’s Kynren in County Durham will encounter Return of The Vikings, a new experience featuring an authentic Viking Village complete with a working blacksmith’s forge, cottages, and a cookhouse. 

This offering provides an insight into how the Scandinavian invaders lived in the north east of England, giving guests extra value for money and even more to enjoy before they take their seats for the 90-minute spectacle.

The recreation of a traditional 9th-century village is home to wooden roundhouses, as well as a woodworker’s cottage built into the hillside. Visitors can watch the villagers move about their dwellings as they prepare for a raid, explore the vegetable patch and meet some livestock.

In a bid to make the village as authentic as possible, Kynren has a clutch of rare Icelandic chickens which were originally bred by Vikings and can trace their origins back to the 9th century. They are part of a menagerie of animals featured in the show including 39 performance horses, donkeys, sheep, geese, goats and cows.

Ahead of the first show on 27^th July, sparks are flying as volunteers learn traditional blacksmith techniques in the Viking Village’s forge, creating real arrowheads, as well as integral woodworking techniques from this era and the unique skill of nalbinding, which is the oldest fabric creation technique, predating both knitting and crochet.

Dan Malkin, a volunteer who stars as one of Kynren’s Viking blacksmiths said: “If I didn’t take part in Kynren I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn such an important heritage skill that is still used today and experience what it’s like to be a farrier – it’s quite incredible. I’m excited to perform this in front of an audience and I think people watching will be shocked to see the brute force of the job – the Vikings were a tough bunch!”

Kynren’s 1,000 cast and crew are volunteers and the theatrical attraction believes creating opportunities for people in the north east is essential to the success of the show and has shown to positively help some participants’ wellbeing.

Wendy Wilshere, head of volunteer casting and engagement, said: “We’re continuously building upon Kynren’s offering so that audiences returning year after year find something new to marvel at each time.

“This also means volunteers get more out of the experience, learning new skills and having opportunities to try new things. We couldn’t do what we do here at Kynren without the volunteers who are always incredibly willing to share their specialist skills with others and I hope they know how grateful we are to work with them,” Wendy added. 

The volunteers have also been rehearsing the intricate combat scenes that will be performed during the Viking Village – in addition to the complex fighting skills they need to bring England’s history to life in the show itself on the seven-and-a-half-acre stage.

Watch legends come to life and travel through 2,000 years of history and adventure as seen through the eyes of Arthur, the son of a mining family. From the legendary exploits of Boudicca and King Arthur to the grandeur of Queen Elizabeth I and Shakespeare, immerse yourself in a world where Vikings storm, knights clash, miners toil and spectacular heroes rise under epic skies.

The 90-minute performances start at sunset and end in starlight and will be taking place every Saturday night from 27th July to 14th September.    

Tickets cost from £26 for adults and from £16 for under 18s. Children aged 3 and under are free when sat on an adult’s knee. Entry to the Viking Village is included in the ticket price.