Projects
The Ryman Auditorium And The Grand Ole Opry Backstage Tour

The Ryman Auditorium And The Grand Ole Opry Backstage Tour

Country music’s most beloved venue

The Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium are the homes of the authentic spirit of Nashville. Working closely with Ryman Hospitality Properties, BRC was asked to re-mold the backstage tour experience of this cultural icon by refreshing the script for the Entry “Experience” and Post-Show Backstage Tour. The result was a new series of tour experiences, designed to immerse guests into the rich anecdotes of the country music legends past and present who have succeeded to make their way to this storied wood stage.

Following this success, BRC collaborated with the Ryman Auditorium to create “Soul of Nashville,” a 100-seat theater that utilizes cutting-edge theatrical technology to put the audience in the center of the story of the treasured “Mother Church” of country music. Using archival images and footage from Ryman’s past performers alongside new media created exclusively for the ‘Soul of Nashville,” the historic Ryman comes to life in front of guests’ eyes. The show features performances by Nashville’s best session musicians, the acclaimed Fisk Jubilee singers, and international stars Darius Rucker, Sheryl Crow, and Vince Gill.

Client

Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. & Ryman Auditorium

Location

Nashville, Tennessee

Services

Story & Concept Development
Design Detail
Immersive Media Production
Production
Fabrication
Technical Systems
Installation & Integration

Project Highlights

+ 300%

Tour attendance increased by 300%

5 Stars

The tour experience has a five star rating on Tripadvisor

+ 20%

Spending per capita increased by 20%

Project Details

Overview

No other venue or institution in Nashville – Music City, USA – can come close to the heritage, legacy, and brand values of the Ryman Auditorium. “The Soul of Nashville” engages guests in the story of the place where performers become stars, stars become legends, and music comes alive for every generation.

Challenge

BRC needed to condense more than a hundred years of history into ten minutes in a story that conveys the love that performers, especially country music stars, have for the Ryman Auditorium. How might we get guests to fall in love with this historic building, so they’d understand the significance of the place and know exactly how their favorite stars feel about it?

Solution

BRC told the story from the first-person point of view of Lula C. Neff, the rip-roaring, trailblazing promoter and manager of the Ryman in its first golden age. We wanted guests to feel Lula’s love for the building, let her spirit rejoice in the rebirth of the Ryman, as today’s biggest stars light up its stage.

Key Learnings

Historic music venues are beloved by generations of performers. The Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium let the love felt by seven generations of performers flow through the experience into the audience, instilling in each visitor the same love and respect felt by America’s biggest names in country music.