JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) – Not many can say they have received a shoutout from Dolly Parton herself, but the Jonesborough Repertory Theatre (JRT) can add that to its long list of accomplishments.

“If you had said to me a year ago, ‘Dolly is going to send a video and shoutout to your actors,'” JRT Artistic Director Jennifer Bernhardt said. “I would be like, ‘Yeah, okay.”

Dr. Gregg Perry, who has previously worked alongside Parton, was behind the shoutout. Perry works with Parton on her upcoming Broadway musical and has recruited local actors for assistance.

“They were recording new material for Dolly’s upcoming musical that is coming,” Bernhardt said. “And they needed something for actors to listen to, to know what it was supposed to sound like. So we had probably 25 to 30 different actors singing and performing the numbers from her new project.”

Brittany Whitson, who plays Dolly’s character Doralee on stage, was involved in the recording. She considers it a great honor.

“I actually got to do a pretty significant solo in the show, beautiful song,” Whitson said. “And Dolly actually did give me a call through Dr. Perry, and she did leave me a voicemail. And I have that saved in multiple places.”

During one of Perry’s trips to Nashville to work on the musical, he mentioned the upcoming production. Rehearsals for “9 to 5” had begun ramping up as the cast entered tech week when a video from Dr. Perry came at the right moment:

“It was during a time of stress,” said Actor Lucas Schmidt, who portrays Franklin Hart. “There’s a lot of technical things we’re always trying to work out and last minutes, and everyone’s kind of stressed. And it was just perfect timing for that. It was like, ‘You know what? I think we’re going to be just fine.'”

“It was right in the middle of our tech rehearsals when things were starting to get a little stressful, and we were getting nervous,” Whitson said. “She sent it at the exact moment that we needed it, and Dolly’s just, she’s such an angel like that.”

In the video, Parton addresses the three leading actresses by name — a moment Whitson couldn’t believe was real.

“I remember as a child I would be on my swing set singing, ‘Silver Threads and Golden Needles,'” Whitson said. “I cannot imagine that, as that little girl, one day Dolly would be able to hear me sing, know my name, and send me a shoutout. I mean, it’s a little surreal.”

Whitson and Schmidt said the shoutout gave the cast the boost they needed.

“I think that’s been a really big help for everybody in the cast,” Schmidt said. “Just in general like, ‘Yeah, Dolly Parton shouted out the show I’m in.'”

“We believe in this place,” Whitson said. “We want to see it succeed. And I know that this will just boot that success a little bit more.”

Bernhardt said the show completely sold out before Parton’s video was shared.