Ryman Auditorium

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Additional Press Releases

FEBRUARY 4, 2002

RYMAN AUDITORIUM ANNOUNCES FAMILY FUN SERIES

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.)--- The Ryman Auditorium’s 2002 Family Fun Series [link], presented by Bryan Foods, will include performances by The Big Kidz Band featuring Skip Ewing, the Super Scientific Circus, and the Salama Urban Ministries’ production of The Wiz.

"We are pleased to announce this eclectic, entertaining lineup for our Family Fun Series," said Pam Matthews, general manager of the Ryman Auditorium. "The series offers something for everyone, including music, imagination, phenomenal physics, and more."

Skip Ewing will return with The Big Kidz Band, part of the National Songwriters Association International’s Tin Pan South, on Saturday, April 6 at 6 pm for an interactive concert experience. The show will feature songs from the CD Indian Elephant Tea, recorded by The Big Kidz Band featuring Skip Ewing. Ewing composed or adapted most of the music and lyrics for the new album, dipping into such widespread wells of inspiration as nursery rhymes, folk songs, and a Duke Ellington classic. Ewing built the title cut around a poem his grandmother wrote.

Skip Ewing is one of Nashville's most successful singer-songwriters and has garnered numerous awards, including being named BMI's 2000 Songwriter of the Year.

The Big Kidz Band includes Pat Flynn, Tommy Harden, Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson, Larry Paxton, Mike Severs, Butch Simmons, and Barry Walsh.

The Super Scientific Circus, starring Mr. Fish and Trent Arterberry, will showcase phenomenal physics, circus stunts, magic tricks, and their scientific explanations on Saturday, April 20 at 6:30 pm Mr. Fish, born John James Lepiarz, is a longtime circus performer and toured for seven years with New York's Big Apple Circus. Trent Arterberry, mime extraordinaire, has performed at thousand of schools, theaters, and festivals. His performing credits include New York's Radio City Music Hall, and he was named College Campus Performing Artist of the Year.

Mr. Fish and Trent Arterberry explore the laws of physics while demonstrating scientific principles such as friction, velocity, sonic booms, ultraviolet light, flight, air pressure, and structure. By using eggs, boomerangs, bubbles, water, beach balls, leaf blowers, whips, and glassware, they will demonstrate aerodynamics, friction, the sound barrier, inertia, centrifugal force, and more.

The Salama Urban Ministries’ production of The Wiz will take place Friday and Saturday, May 17 and 18 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, May 19 at 6:30 pm This contemporary trip to the magical city of Oz is a journey to pursue goodness, character, and the place called home. It is presented with permission of Samuel French, Inc. The Salama Performing Arts program provides education and training in the performing arts and works as a conduit for professionals, students, and community theater performers to showcase their talents through recitals, concerts, and dramatic presentations.

Tickets to The Big Kidz Band Show and the Super Scientific Circus are $8 for general amssion seating. Tickets to The Wiz are $30 and $26 for adults and $15 and $13 for children ages 4 - 11. Tickets to all performances are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, the Ryman Box Office, or by calling Customer Service at (615) 889-3060 or visiting www.ryman.com.

The Ryman Auditorium, built as a church in 1892, is a National Historic Landmark, and housed the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-1974. Travelocity named the Ryman one of their 2001 "10 Coolest Venues" in the world, and national editors and online audiences of CitySearch.com recently voted the Ryman Auditorium one of the five "Best Places to Hear Live Music" in America.

For more information about theatrical and concert events at the Ryman, visit the Ryman Box Office, call (615) 889-3060 or visit www.ryman.com. The Ryman Auditorium is located at 116 Fifth Avenue North in downtown Nashville.

Gaylord Entertainment is a diversified hospitality and entertainment company headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, and its stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: GET). Among its businesses are the Gaylord Hotels, the Grand Ole Opry, Acuff-Rose Music Publishing, and WSM Radio.

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Ryman Auditorium

Marketing & PR Coordinator: Lisaann Dupont, (615) 458-8715 or email

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