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Dolly Parton-created Christmas performance comes to UIS

Dolly Parton-created Christmas performance comes to UIS

"Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol" Photo: Contributed/University of Illinois Springfield Performing Arts Center


SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Here’s another way the legacy of late country music legend Dolly Parton will, potentially, live on forever.

According to a news release, the University of Illinois Springfield Performing Arts Center says “Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol” will perform at the center Monday, December 21, at 7:30 p.m. as part of its 2026 national tour.  Tickets will go on sale to the public Friday, October 9, at 10:00 a.m.  “FRIENDS” members will have early access to tickets at their selected, reserved seats starting Wednesday, October 7.

“The holidays have always held a special place in Dolly’s heart,” said Paul T. Couch, Executive Producer, in a news release, “and this year that love feels significantly more poignant. A Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol represents another meaningful way to experience the many musical gifts that Dolly created for us to enjoy and connect with her, and it’s with that spirit that we’ll share her beautiful songs and stories.”

Parton is listed as being responsible for music and lyrics for the show.  She died Aug. 25 at age 80 following a cancer battle.

“Set in the 1930s in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, this unforgettable production and amazing cast imagines Ebenezer Scrooge as the owner of a mining company town, where his callous greed blinds him to the joys and gifts of the season,” said the release.

Tickets range in price from $39 to $129 can be purchased online, or by calling the box office.

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