Dolly Parton Musical to Premiere at Belmont
- Braden Simmons
- Jan 28
- 3 min read
A line wrapped around Belmont Boulevard Tuesday morning.
Students donned in their best boots and pastel-colored outfits funneled into the Fisher Center and sat with anticipation.
The audience members got on their feet and shuffled to pull their phones out of their pockets.
Parton emerged from the side.
Dressed in a white top and black leather skirt, the country music icon walked centerstage draped on the arm of senior musical theater student Isaac Bouldin.
Cameras all focused on Parton.
“Somebody said somebody wanted to take pictures. Is that true?” said Parton, who then walked to the edge of the stage and posed as cameras clicked away.
Then Parton got down to business regarding why she was here.
“DOLLY: An Original Musical” will be workshopped at Belmont before making its way to Broadway in 2026. The musical is projected to detail the life of Parton and will feature her extensive catalog of country music hits as well as some originals for the show.
“I actually have always wanted to do my life story as a musical, and I just thought that I wanted to see it done while I was still around, to be able to oversee it and make sure that it's done properly,” she said.
The musical will run at the Fisher Center from July 18 to Aug. 17 and tickets are already on sale.
Bartlett Sher, the director for the musical, will tinker with the musical during its Belmont run before it makes its way to the bright lights of New York City.
“I've worked at theaters all across the United States. And when I came here to the Fisher Center, I thought you guys had built one of the best theaters in the world,” said Sher.
And what better place to showcase a legacy than in a world-class theater.
“It just seemed natural and right for me to be able to premiere the story of my life in Tennessee, because I'm Tennessee born and Tennessee raised,” Parton said.
The show is still looking for its “Dolly” and has had open applications since December.
“I've never done a big nationwide casting before, but in a way, it makes a lot of sense to me, because Dolly's story is everybody's story, and it wouldn't have been fair if we hadn't made the possibility for everybody to have a chance,” Sher said.
Parton and Sher are still looking for the right person to portray the legend.
“I personally want them to see the person inside of me, the life, the things you go through, the things you truly do have to sacrifice. Everybody thinks it's all glamorous and glory and money and fame, but there's so much more to a life like mine,” she said.
The musical coming to Belmont wasn’t the only announcement from Parton.
Belmont also unveiled a new program called DollyU, which will be a partnership centered around Parton and her legacy of music and entertainment.
“We're so excited to serve alongside a team like Dolly and Danny at CTK, who have shared values. The honor of getting our students with them, to learn from them on a daily basis is just magical for us,” said Sarah Cates, the vice president of Imagination, Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships.
There are currently four classes being offered in conjunction with the program including Dolly Parton: Icon and Influence, which is being taught by Brittany Schaffer, dean of the College of Music Business and Entertainment and Caroline Rupard.
“I'm so proud of Belmont,” said Parton. “The youth here, the people, the excitement, that just love this, and I'm just so proud of it all.”
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This article was written by Braden Simmons
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