(Story courtesy of WVLT News)

Nashville, TN (WOKI) Dolly Parton’s upcoming Broadway musical will be making a stop in Tennessee before heading to New York.

The country superstar announced on Tuesday that Dolly: An Original Musical will open for the first time on Belmont University’s campus in July.

“It just seemed right to premiere the story of my life in Tennessee, because I am Tennessee-born and Tennessee-raised,” Dolly said while speaking at the university on Tuesday.

It will mark the first time that Belmont’s Fisher Center will host the world premiere of a new musical with a professional cast. As for the musical itself, it’s gearing up to be an all-Dolly extravaganza.

The production took to social media last year, calling for open auditions for people to play Dolly herself. She talked about the search on Tuesday, saying she was amazed by how many people submitted auditions.

“Casting is one of the most important things we do,” Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher, who’s directing the show, said. “These are very important choices to make, and you have to pick the perfect people.”

The show will also feature original Dolly songs highlighting key points in her life.

“I’ve lived my life, and my life has been country,” Dolly said. “I’ve touched so many lives by telling stories about people, so it’s only natural that the music I’ve written has that flavor and tells the story of my life.”

The music itself, she said, will have a country flair.

“We have some bigger songs that are tailor-made to how I think they should be on Broadway, but they have a country feel as well,” Dolly said. “I think they’ll appreciate me taking Nashville to New York along with that country sound.”

The musical will head to Broadway in 2026. Before heading to New York, the show will open on July 18 of this year at Belmont and run until Aug. 17. Tickets start at $40 each and can be purchased here.