A lifetime working as a lighting designer is marked by a few special occasions, where one is exposed to artistry that is unique. Unforgettable. Dolly Parton is on that short list.
My team and I spent several days with Dolly in Knoxville in 2024, filming her duets with family members in connection with the album Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables. Just Dolly, family and friends. A great privilege.
As Sharon Huizinga and I were preparing our recent book, Lighting Design Beyond Theatre, we thought it important to end with a chapter we called “Learning From the Audience,” covering an essential aspect of any lighting design student’s education: their relationship to the audience and the wisdom of practicing their craft in service to same.
That final chapter includes a Dolly Parton quote, excerpted from: Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton. Lydia R. Hamessley’s 2020 book explores Dolly as songwriter and poet. In our research, Sharon and I never found a more insightful perception about performer and public.
Hamessley: The mask she [Dolly Parton] wears allows her to reflect her listeners’ experiences and feelings back to them as she acknowledges here: “A lot of times my fans don’t come to see me be me. They come to see me be them. They come to hear me say what they want to hear, what they’d like to say themselves, or to say about them what they want to believe is true.” Through her songs, Dolly not only bears witness to people’s untold stories, she acts as surrogate for people’s emotions, opening up a space for their cathartic expression.
The term “Diva” is derived from Divine. Just so.
Allen Branton is a 50-year veteran of the entertainment lighting business. He has acted as primary LD on over 500 projects on stage and screen, on every continent save Antarctica. His touring clients since 1980 include Diana Ross, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne, the Oak Ridge Boys, The Bee Gees, Judas Priest, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon, Wynona Judd, Mariah Carey, Vince Gill, Marc Anthony, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Bette Midler. He has also designed major special events for television, with 10 Primetime Emmy nominations. Touring artists for whom he has consulted on video adaptations of existing concert designs include U2, Robbie Williams, Madonna, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Christina Aguilera, Usher, Britney Spears, N’ Sync, David Bowie, Diana Ross, and Sting, among many others. Full bio.