Dolly Parton to Premiere Original Musical at Belmont’s Fisher Center

January 28, 2025

The New Dolly Parton Musical, DOLLY: AN ORIGINAL MUSICAL, Announces World Premiere Production This Summer in Parton’s Beloved Home of Nashville, Tennessee Before Coming to Broadway in 2026

January 28, 2025 – Global Superstar Dolly Parton, CTK Enterprises, ATG Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions, announce today the World Premiere of DOLLY: AN ORIGINAL MUSICAL. Previewing in Nashville at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts beginning July 18, the multi-week run includes an August 8 official premiere. Tickets for the engagement are available now at www.dollymusical.com. Following this summer’s world premiere at the Fisher Center, the production will head to Broadway in 2026.

DOLLY: AN ORIGINAL MUSICAL is produced by Parton, Danny Nozell, ATG Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions. With music by Parton that will include some of her biggest hits as well as new songs she has written especially for the musical, and a book by Parton and Maria S. Schlatter, the musical is directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher. As part of this partnership, the musical will be brought to life and built at Belmont University in the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts.

Parton said, “I am Tennessee born and raised, and Nashville has been my musical home for over 60 years. So, this is the right and perfect place to present the world premiere of my life story as a musical. Right here in Nashville at the beautiful Belmont University’s Fisher Center.”

Tickets for DOLLY: AN ORIGINAL MUSICAL, with prices starting at just $40, are on sale now at www.dollymusical.com or by calling the Fisher Center Box Office at 615.460.2255.

This will mark the first time the Fisher Center will host the world premiere of a new musical featuring a cast and creative team of professional artists. Additional information about DOLLY: AN ORIGINAL MUSICAL, including casting and additional members of the design team will be announced soon.

Also announced today is DOLLY U, a first-of-its-kind partnership that will cultivate a transformative and immersive educational experience for students across a variety of disciplines. This initiative will celebrate and amplify the life and music of Dolly Parton—which is still being written. The program will foster creativity, innovation and character development in a rising generation of entertainment and community leaders.

DOLLY U officially launches with several collaborative projects and interdisciplinary initiatives connected to DOLLY: AN ORIGINAL MUSICAL. Centered around the musical, the initial DOLLY U Fellowship Program allows six students to participate in a semester-long fellowship with the CTK Enterprises team as it develops, produces and premieres the musical. In addition, new project-based courses will be offered throughout 2025 in subjects such as fashion design, marketing, brand partnerships and merchandising, providing students opportunities to contribute to the musical while receiving course credit. The projects in this first year will serve as a pilot for additional courses and connections between Belmont, Dolly Parton and CTK Enterprises in the future as DOLLY U expands in reach and impact. A list of courses that are part of the inaugural Dolly U program is available here.

“Dolly Parton exemplifies character, innovation and creativity, three characteristics we prioritize on this campus and seek to foster in our students,” Belmont President Dr. Greg Jones added. “Her career and all the work being done via CTK Enterprises are built on a strong foundation of faith and a desire to pursue excellence in every endeavor, all with a spirit of humility and generosity. This new partnership perfectly aligns with where Belmont is heading in our reimagination of higher education while setting the stage for boundless opportunities for current and future students.”

“On behalf of Dolly, my CTK team, and our partners at Ambassador Theatre Group, I could not be more thrilled to launch this endeavor with Belmont University,” says CTK Enterprises Founder/CEO Danny Nozell. “As one of the leading content production and entertainment management companies in the world, we will create hands-on learning opportunities for hundreds of students each semester while bringing to life Dolly’s dream project. This partnership is a new model for the future, which will nurture the next generation of creators and visionaries.”

Thanks to such specialized immersive experiences, Belmont graduates will develop the skills to be leaders in their fields of choice from day one, while Belmont also creates a well-equipped workforce pipeline for corporate and nonprofit entities across Nashville and beyond.

About Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton is the most honored and revered multi-hyphenate of all time and was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her recent album Rockstar made history by scoring the biggest album debut sales week of her seven-decade career and earning her six #1s on the Billboard charts – Top Rock Albums, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Country Albums, Top Album Sales, Top Current Album Sales, and Independent Albums. The landmark album also claimed the #3 spot on the Billboard 200 chart, her highest position ever. Achieving 27 RIAA-certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards, she has had 26 songs reach #1 on the Billboard country charts, a record for a female artist. Parton is the first artist to have topped Billboard’s Adult Contemporary, Christian AC Songs, Hot Country Songs, Bluegrass, Christian Airplay, Rock Digital Songs, Country Airplay, and Dance/Mix Show Airplay radio charts. Parton became the first country artist honored as Grammy MusiCares Person of the Year given out by NARAS. She has 49 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and 120 career-charted singles over the past 50+ years. In October 17, 2023, she released her second New York Times Best Seller coffee table book in a trilogy called Behind The Seams: My Life in Rhinestones. The first of the series was the bestselling coffee table book Songteller: My Life in Lyrics. In September 2024, Parton with her sister Rachel George Parton co-authored the cookbook Good Lookin’ Cookin’ which premiered at #1 on New York Times Best Seller list and remained #1 for 3 weeks. 

In 2014, the RIAA recognized her impact on recorded music with a plaque commemorating more than 100 million units sold worldwide. She has amassed 11 Grammy Awards and 52 nominations, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, 10 Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year; five Academy of Country Music Awards, also including a nod for Entertainer of the Year; four People’s Choice Awards; and three American Music Awards. In 1999, Parton was inducted as a member of the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame.

Parton has the largest fan base of all measured music artists in the YouGov database at #1 with 198 million. She has the #1 Q Score of all performers, solo and group. She is one of only 25 celebrities in the E-poll database to have an E-score of 100 and has maintained that perfect rating for eight years. She recently won Best Brand Award, Celebrity, Influencer and Fashion at the 2023 Licensing International Excellence Awards.

To date, Parton has donated over 255 million books to children around the world with her Imagination Library. Her children’s book, Coat of Many Colors, was dedicated to the Library of Congress to honor the Imagination Library’s 100 millionth book donation. In March 2022, Parton released the book Run Rose Run which she co-authored with James Patterson which sat at # 1 on the New York Times Best Sellers List for five weeks, a record for this decade. She also released an accompanying album of the same name with original songs inspired by the book which reached #1 on three charts simultaneously – Country, Americana/Folk, and Bluegrass Albums. From her “Coat of Many Colors” while working “9 to 5,” no dream is too big and no mountain too high for the country girl who turned the world into her stage.

About Danny Nozell

Danny Nozell is a titan of the entertainment industry; his bold, jovial personality accompanies his well-known reputation for high profit margins, long-term client retention, and progressive diversification of revenue for clients and his own companies. His most notable achievements have been with cultural icon and global superstar Dolly Parton as her manager of 20 years. Nozell and his team at CTK Enterprises have a diverse roster of talent, spanning a spectrum of genres: Megadeth, Kenny G, and KC and the Sunshine Band, to name a few. Nozell masters every facet of the industry – including music, TV, film, branding, publishing, touring, and record deals – through awe-inspiring innovation and spotting new trends ahead of the curve. Nozell is credited for rebuilding Parton’s global touring career, revitalizing her recording career, and overseeing her vast business empire. He expanded her branding globally, including hundreds of product lines, and produced her portfolio of television, film, and stage productions. His own businesses have redefined the modern-day entertainment industry. Nozell’s companies – including CTK Enterprises, NOZ Entertainment, and Nash Aviation – employ a 50-plus team of experts who deliver revolutionary ROI for clients and partners. 

About ATG Productions

ATG Productions is the award-winning producing and general management arm of ATG Entertainment. Dolly Parton first collaborated with ATG and Adam Speers in 2019 when she entrusted them to develop a new version of her musical 9 to 5 which became a hit in London’s West End and subsequently had successful UK and international tours. Current and upcoming productions: the Tony Award-winning production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club now starring Adam Lambert and Auli’i Cravalho and the record-breaking, seven-time Olivier Award-winning, West End production now starring Adam Gillen and Katherine Langford; the seven-time Olivier Award-winning Sunset Boulevard starring Nicole Scherzinger (Savoy, West End and St. James Theatre, Broadway), A Streetcar Named Desire starring Paul Mescal (Phoenix Theatre, West End; Noël Coward Theater, West End; and BAM, New York); The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Ambassadors Theatre, West End); and Dear Evan Hansen (UK tour). Recent productions: Player Kings starring Ian McKellen (Noel Coward Theatre, West End); Plaza Suite starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick (Savoy, West End and Hudson Theatre, Broadway); Harry Clarke starring Billy Crudup (Ambassadors Theatre, West End); and A Doll’s House starring Jessica Chastain (Hudson Theatre, Broadway).

About The Fisher Center for Performing Arts 

Anchored by a 1,700-seat theater, The Fisher Center showcases elegant event space that includes a soaring grand foyer, two multipurpose ballrooms, green room and flexible rehearsal space. Since its grand opening in December 2021, the Fisher Center has hosted a myriad of musical superstars including Brad Paisley, Little Big Town, Pattie LaBelle, Carrie Underwood, The War & Treaty and Chris Stapleton, among others. The venue has also been the backdrop for numerous national broadcasts including CMA Country Christmas, CMT Giants and Christmas at Belmont as well as significant benefit events for organizations such as the Nashville Opera, Nashville Ballet, Porter’s Call and the Michael J. Fox Foundation. For more information, visit thefishercenter.com. 

About Belmont University  

Located near the heart of thriving Nashville, Tennessee, Belmont University consists of nearly 9,000 students who come from every state and 33 countries. The University is nationally recognized for its innovative approach as well as its commitment to undergraduate teaching (U.S. News & World Report). As a Christ-centered, student-focused community, Belmont’s mission is to develop diverse leaders of purpose, character and wisdom who possess a transformational mindset and are eager and equipped to make the world a better place. With more than 115 areas of undergraduate study, 41 master’s programs and eight doctoral degrees, Belmont University aims to be the leading Christ-centered university in the world, producing leaders who will radically champion the pursuit of life abundant for all people. For more information, visit http://www.belmont.edu.