When the reigning Queen of Country Dolly Parton needed an Atlanta filming location for her new Netflix series, she turned to The Tabernacle to make it happen. The new anthology series, Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings, celebrates family, faith, love and forgiveness as told through the lens of her iconic music.
A scene requiring a convincing Nashville Music Hall led her production team to Atlanta - the new Hollywood of the South. There they discovered The Tabernacle, and after a few scouting visits deemed it the perfect stand-in for a Music City stage. The colorfully hand-painted theater, its folk art and original organ were just some of the flourishes that the Heartstrings team fell in love with.
In fact, The Tabernacle’s diverse decor and unique floor plan inspired the producers to use multiple rooms and exteriors for additional scenes - including the famed Cotton Club space to double as a honky-tonk bar. When you consider the difficult logistics of moving cameras, lights, sound equipment and over 350 cast and crew members between locations, this was a huge benefit for the production.
With just three weeks to prepare for the shoot, The Tabernacle team was able to put additional security and safety measures in place. Hosting hundreds of personnel in a five-story building requires coordination and immense attention to detail, and The Tabernacle’s professional staff was able to pull it off without incident. Multiple levels of coverage were put in place throughout the venue, and the production was provided with a contact list for any and all needs. The Heartstrings crew even sought some help from The Tabernacle’s in-house staff of lighting & sound experts.
What was it like working with Dolly Parton? She was a lovely person, and incredibly, gracious, humble and thankful towards The Tabernacle team. She even surprised cast & crew with an impromptu acapella version of ‘9 To 5’ during a break in filming!
The Tabernacle was proud to deliver such an outstanding experience to Dolly and her team, and thrilled to be a part of her heartwarming tale.
For Atlanta productions that require a diverse space that’s beautifully unique from room-to-room, and a professional crew with agility and big-budget experience, The Tabernacle is the first choice.
To schedule a scouting visit, contact us today.