Kynren: 'Emotional' return for open air history show cast

Many rehearsals took place virtually over the winter

Cast members of an open air history extravaganza have made an "emotional return" to its County Durham site.

Bishop Auckland's Kynren, which depicts 2,000 years of English history and involves hundreds of performers and other staff, was cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hundreds of the "Archers" as they are known, have now returned for a series of socially distanced rehearsals.

The outdoor show is due to open to the public in August.

Many taking part say they missed the "camaraderie and fun" of the event

Production company Eleven Arches said online training sessions started in November with hundreds of Archers taking part in rehearsals over the winter.

These covered a wide range of areas from customer care, to specific scenes from the performances or fight co-ordination, stunts and dances.

While some of the training will remain virtual, performers are being allowed on site to piece together some of the more complex or larger scenes, whilst remaining socially distanced.

Performances cover two millennia in around 90 minutes

Anne-Isabelle Daulon, from Eleven Arches, said: "All of us have missed the camaraderie, fun and feeling of community that an event like this brings.

"Many were very emotional as it is not just the fact they are somewhere rich with good memories, but also the feeling that presenting Kynren on 7 August is finally a realistic possibility."

Stunts and fight scenes are being rehearsed