Dolly Parton Plans ‘Finding Dolly’ Contest For Her Broadway Musical

Dolly Parton is actively involved in developing a stage production for which she has composed the music for and contributed to half of the script. Now, she wants to hold an exclusive “Finding Dolly” contest to cast her upcoming Broadway musical.

Dolly’s Longtime Dreams Unveiled

During a conversation with PEOPLE, the 78-year-old country music legend provided insights into the eagerly awaited Broadway musical based on her life and career.

She expressed, “Right now, I’m working on my life story as a musical, and so going on Broadway and opening my show on Broadway, that’s been a biggie [goal] in my mind for many, many years. That’d be the one that I want to make certain I get done while I’m still kicking, while I’m around to stay involved in it.”

RELATED: Dolly Parton Shares Dreams She Still Hopes To Accomplish

Bringing Her Story To Broadway

Expressing her long standing desire to narrate her story through a stage production, the superstar hinted at the possibility of aspiring actors seizing the opportunity to portray her by participating in a talent search. 

During a USA Today interview, Dolly disclosed that the production had been a dream of hers for years. Unfortunately, it was on the verge of readiness when COVID struck, leading to the shutdown of Broadway.

“I was just about to have it ready when COVID hit and Broadway shut down. Then I thought, “Well, maybe I’ll do it as a biopic,” and wrote up a script for that. But then I was like, “Nah, everybody’s doing a biopic! I’m going back to Broadway now that it’s open,” she told the outlet.

Fortunately, circumstances have shifted, and Dolly expressed her optimism in realizing that dream by “late ’25.”

The musical, which is currently untitled, isn’t the first time Dolly has graced Broadway. She previously composed the score for a stage adaptation of the film inspired by her hit, “9 to 5.”

“9 to 5: The Musical” premiered on Broadway at the Marquis Theater on April 7, 2009, and ran in New York until closing in September after 24 preview showings and 148 regular performances. The musical earned 15 Drama Desk Award nominations and four Tony Award nominations, including Best Original Score, during its runs in LA and NY. Following its Broadway closure, the show embarked on a tour in the United States and the United Kingdom, with various regional productions.

Her “Finding Dolly” Contest 

To bring the project to New York City, the music icon revealed that she might even have hosted a “Finding Dolly” contest. It wasn’t just one Dolly under the bright lights of Broadway; the “Jolene” singer had expected there to be three performers playing her at different phases of her life, including a “little Dolly,” an “earlier years Dolly,” and “an older Dolly.”

Dolly said of the musical, “The whole first act is my early days before I went to Nashville. The second act is about my days in Nashville and beyond. So the first part of the musical will be a lot like Coat of Many Colors with music and songs and will involve more details.” 

The Broadway musical “Dolly” certainly has a challenge ahead – filling not just big shoes but, shall we say, big hair?

“We’re going to be auditioning them and trying to find them through different means. I think that’ll be fun for people, too,” Dolly continues. “You never know where you’re going to find them. They may never have been on stage before, or maybe in some local theater somewhere, but we’re going to look for them, and that’s going to be part of the fun, I think.”

Who knows, you might just become the next Dolly Parton and land a role working “9 to 5” in her Broadway musical!