My bullies and boobie stories & #SearchForDolly Broadway Audition!

I didn’t really know what Broadway was until I was a freshman in high school between 1996-1997. That’s when I saw Joesph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Chicago, Illinois with Donny Osmond staring as Joesph. We had gone as a part of a school trip I think. I remember others saying what a big deal it was to see him play the lead roll. I acted excited too even though I honestly didn’t know who he was at the time. We didn’t have “google it” at our fingertips like we do now to save us from immediate embarrassment. I found out later. But one thing I did know, the very moment the show started and I heard and saw a level of talent on stage that I had never witnessed before, I knew I wanted to do that too!

The lights, the dancers, the colors! The songs and story, the words moving with the movement, the actors and singers giving off an energy I could feel in my soul!

I’ll get to why I named this post the way I did below, but first…

It’s only been recently that I’ve learned I’m an empath. I think honestly I just feel others’ emotions like an energy that seeps into my skin through the pores. Some say, ya gotta have a tough skin, and don’t wear your heart on your sleeve. But I think it’s also a super power to feel so deeply. Over the years I discovered it helped me study character development in acting classes. “Method” acting is the fancy word. But really it’s just simply putting yourself in someone else’s shoes on every sensory level and really feeling what they likely feel. Pretending for real.

Broadway. I dreamed I’d be on that stage, never really knowing how.

I’ve talked before about my theatre days: ✨ How my motto “Make it an Adventure” started (includes performing 📸 pics) AND how I grew up playing piano across the street from the neighbor lady, and took ballet every school year starting in second grade through four and a half years of college! Oh, and jazz and tap, and modern dance too… I recently shared my choir journal when we toured Europe! AND how I learned to play guitar after starting to song write, and after only six months of playing took my oversized guitar to Nashville! Playing an original song at the Bluebird Cafe and recording it at the Ryman Auditorium the next day… I’ve been “making it an adventure!” But Broadway, it’s been a dream of mine for a long time, an adventure I have not taken. But I’ve kept the dream of it in my back pocket over the years.

I kinda always thought I’d live in the big city!

When my cousins and I, who I’d often make shows up with, we were called “The Cadillac Cousins,” put on Country Mouse City Mouse for our parents, I definitely wanted to be a “City Mouse.” Funny how I now live in a small town outside of Madison, Wisconsin where I grew up. I moved to the Twin Cities of Minnesota right after high school, but moved back to Wisconsin more recently.

Minneapolis was a pretty big city. I’d take the bus downtown and walk alone at night (can’t believe I did that!) to help backstage and watch the pros perform at a theatre called The Theatre de la Jeune Lune. (Funny story: This was the first time I smelled what city sewers smell like!) They were doing Mozart’s The Magic Flute and I helped with sweeping the raked stage (slopes upward away from the audience) and helped monitor a trapdoor one of the actor’s used. The lead had a twin sister, or at least they were close in age and looked so much alike. They were beautiful and their voices were so so good! I loved hearing them perform. I felt like I was a part of that show in the big city. I learned what it was like to be in the green room with real actors, making a modest living doing what they had in their hearts. I also learned it wasn’t a bit like the movies and it was so much work. They showed me the real deal early on before I’d do it professionally too.

Here’s me below as “February” in one of the olios that had a different fantastic costume for each month! (Minnesota Centennial Showboat, summer of 2002)

Am I a country mouse or city mouse? Maybe I’m a bit of both. Was Minneapolis my Broadway? At the time, I began to think maybe it was. I did lots of shows! Some highlights were doing two summers on the Minnesota Centennial Showboat in Saint Paul doing original versions of the plays Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Dracula, as well as dozens of olios in between numbers. I also did A Christmas Carol at the old Guthrie with Raye Birk as Scrooge. But then there was a four women show I did a nine month run in called: Respect A Musical Journey of Women. It was at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre. Like the Showboat, I definitely learned what doing a long run is like, and how doing up to eight shows a week feels!

True Fact: Prince’s last public performance in Minnesota (March 12, 2016) before he passed away, was on the Fireside stage I had performed on. He did an impromptu guitar solo after he jumped up on stage during a Ray Charles tribute show! He had never come to the theatre before, despite living in Chanhassen. I was proud of my time performing on that same stage. If you visit, there’s a picture and historical story about that posted right as you come into the theatre.

No matter when or where I’ve performed, starting from back at La Follette High School in Madison Wisconsin, to while I was away at college, in various communities, and professionally over the years… open mic nights… being on stage and in the spotlight really feels like “home.”

I’ve been performing in one shape or another my whole life. I am a performer, an entertainer. More recently, I have loved making videos of originals and covers, and have also been learning to record my own music! Listen to Annie’s music

A month ago I got an email from Dolly Parton. Well, I’d like to think it was directly from her! Well, heck… it’s from her. It said there will be a new musical about Dolly Parton’s life story coming to Broadway in 2026! I quickly opened it and knew instantly I had to audition. #SearchForDolly is a national search and anyone whether they’re a seasoned theatre professional or “undiscovered gem” could send a video of themselves singing their favorite Dolly song. I knew right away I’d do “Coat of Many Colors.” I had learned it and did a cover a couple years ago that’s on my You Tube channel, along with a few of her other songs I’ve shared. Singing it feels so natural and I definitely connect with the story and lyrics.

Now, to the title of this post. Thank you for sticking with me!


(Trigger heads up: It’s fairly tame, but if you’ve ever been bullied, or dealt with body image woes, or any kind of sexual harassment, this part of the post may be triggering for you. Please feel free to skip to my audition video below! Thanks so much for being here and take care!😘 ~Annie)

I was bullied as a little girl. Dolly was too. I haven’t shared much about my experience over the years, but I’ve learned to “keep my chin up” like my Grandma Mary Jean used to encourage me to do. AND to just keep going!

There was a boy once who teased me because I had a neck gear I had to wear to fix my buck teeth in third grade. (The idea was that it would push my back teeth back and I’d get braces after.) He was older, lived down the street in the blue house. I won’t share his name, but he’d pick on me near where we lived. My oldest sister reminded me that she’d stick up for me and say something back to him to make him stop. He wore glasses, and she might have said something like “four-eyes” or whatever she could think of, I can’t recall. Not that teasing him back was any good, but seriously? He was gonna pick on a little, cute blonde third grader who had to wear what I had never seen another human being wear in broad day light ever!? Come on! People’s dentists typically said just wear it at night. I’m not sure if mine missed the memo? Come On! Crazy story though: One time it was so cold I got marks on my skin from the metal freezing to my cheeks while I was outside playing! No joke! What the heck! Didn’t anybody consider that? We lived in the Midwest where it gets very cold at times! Cheek frostbite anybody? (I’m raising my hand). Not to mention having freezing metal in your mouth in winter…I’m surprised I didn’t have a tongue on flagpole situation happen! (A Christmas Story reference #1)

Here’s a picture below of me before my teeth got fixed. There’s another story about the feathered haircut I’ve told as part of a 3 part blog series. You can read this particular story here: Three Bad Hair Day Stories: Say it… Feathered on the side? (Part 2) 👈🏽 This is a members only post. 😉 Join my club for access here

And here’s about the only picture I could find with me wearing the neck gear! I was dressed for a wedding for my mom’s friend. I guess I was dedicated enough to keep it on for even that!

Another time I was bullied, it was an older girl named Angie. I will name her because it’s a more common name than the boy’s name, but she was downright awful. (I still wish you the best where ever you are Angie) I was scared of her and avoided her in the halls in elementary school whenever I could. You know in the movies where bullies have a little gang with them? Or a sidekick, like in A Christmas Story? She had a sidekick. I didn’t do what Ralphie did to his bully, but sometimes thinking back on it, I wanted to. (A Christmas Story reference #2)

But the worst was one time on the school bus home. A kid that lived in my same neighborhood, his name was Zach, also a common name at the time, pulled a chunk of my hair out! He was sitting behind me teasing me, saying stuff to get me mad and he grabbed my hair. I wanted to get away and quickly yanked myself forward, but unfortunately it was so hard, and he was holding so tight, it literally came out in his hands! I couldn’t believe it, and I remember his eyes getting really big and him and the kid next to him starting to laugh and be like “oh my God!” It hurt too, and I believe I grabbed my hair or he dropped it over the seat. I even saw a piece of my scalp was attached at the roots of the hair. It was kinda gruesome really. I don’t remember crying though. I was a super tough kid and I definitely remember not wanting to give him that satisfaction. But boy was I mad! Instead of doing anything back, I ended up telling the principal about it, and honestly can’t remember if anything really happened much after that. Back then, things were not handled like they should be or are supposed to be related to bullying in schools today. I think someone might have said, that’s what boys do when they have a crush on you, something like that. But no way. Not this girl.

Back to how this relates to “Coat of Many Colors.” If you know the song, it’s about Dolly getting a coat made by her mom that’s constructed of colorful pieces of rags. She didn’t have a coat because her family didn’t have a lot of money and they were resourceful I’d say. Her mom would sew it and tell her stories, like those from the Bible, including the story about Joseph and his coat of many colors. (The story was made into a musical like I mentioned above. Isn’t that amazing how it all connects?!) So the song goes on to say that Dolly was teased when she wore it to school and made fun of for how it looked and was made, despite being so proud of it. But she too found a way to not let being different or being bullied stop her from being who she wanted to be and keep her from doing what she wanted and dreamed of doing. I can relate to that. I also wrote a song once called “Something New” inspired by how I was always given hand-me-downs because I was the youngest of three and it saved my family money too. It didn’t bother me too much, accept my oldest sister was five years older and sometimes the items looked a bit more mature than what I was ready for. I’ve had to find my own style over the years more intentionally because I rarely got to buy new things, or pick out what I liked as a child or teenager.

Speaking of looking mature… I was teased about my boobs growing up too. Yup, I just typed “boobs.” That was fun, but also feels a tad naughty, probably my Catholic upbringing and the guilt thing I sometimes feel. I’ve only recently realized how occasionally feeling ashamed or embarrassed about my female body in the past is rooted in things that were out of my control, and in fact influenced by other things. But I’m going down a rabbit hole I’ll leave for those more suited to untangle all that. Anyway, I’m not going to say who teased me about my chest size, but it confused me at times because I didn’t think anything was wrong with them. They were larger, like my Grandma Mary Jean’s, yes. She wouldn’t have cared if I shared that she had bigger boobs. She taught me to love yourself, myself, and would put on makeup and say something like “every gal needs a little ya know makeup to make her feel good and look her best, nothing wrong with that!” She’d be putting her mascara on in the car visor mirror while Grandpa was driving us to church. I’d be in the backseat behind him and could see her eyes in the mirror looking back at me as she talked. AND boy was she a talker! (My first song I ever wrote was about her called “Carry On,” and is the song I played in Nashville and recorded too) We’d be running a little behind because she was always the last one ready at holidays when we’d go together to church. She oftentimes needed to finish putting herself together in the car. But my boobs, if they were like hers, fit my body type and I looked fine I thought. Every day when I curl my eyelashes in the morning and put my mascara on, I always think of her!

I did discover that boys liked them quite a lot. That was exciting. I’ll leave out the part about how I knew boys liked them (wink). It wasn’t boys who made fun of my body. I also got parts in shows, maybe because of them or maybe not, or maybe because I was a complete triple threat package that had a look that fit! Playing Columbia in Rocky Horror Show in college was an example of a role I felt great in my body playing. She was a very fun character. Embracing and loving to pretend to be her, wig cap, big gaudy makeup and all…I had a blast! I’ll also leave the part out about the details of how I knew it made my folks uneasy I was in that show. Maybe it’s hard to see your young girl become a woman? I was showing confidence. I was owning my body completely, and taking control on stage. AND I discovered I was really good at that. I knew how to be both in character, and completely authentic and myself, going back and forth, like turning a switch on and off when I went on or off stage. That’s acting folks. Which leads me to my next story…

Here’s a picture of me as Columbia backstage:

I was once told I had “great tits!” by a Director. (Sorry folks if that word offends you, but I think the actual word used is important here because words matter. Oh, and I looked up the origins, because I thought it might be interesting to note: the word derives from the word “teat” like that on a mammal where milk comes out, for example a cow’s utter. But this is not an anatomy or biology class, so I’ll leave it at that. But I’m definitely not a cow! I’ll get back to what he said next.)

He also said I was “smart.” His name will remain anonymous. He’d come into our dressing room and say things, like that shared above, to people. This kind of talk and behavior was typical, but not super common, from my experience in theater, in dressing rooms, and on set for things. It honestly didn’t creep me out at the time, but it stuck with me, and now I look back and feel like nobody should be saying that to someone working for them in a show or at all. But I looked at it like I know my type, my assets, what parts I could get with my look, and what to tryout for. That’s just knowing yourself and is kinda 101 in “what to audition for school,” not that I attended anything called that. I developed my own awareness of roles right for me. When I was a good fit for what they were looking for, I’ve gone for it. That’s called business.

Years later my boobies did amazing things, and made me really proud in a different way! I fed my babies with my amazing boobies and saved us a boatload ton of money! They performed a motherly duty I’m not afraid to say Victoria Secret missed out on! Let me explain. I was a loyal VS shopper until I needed a nursing bra. Then they lost me, lost my business. Totally a missed opportunity people! Mom’s wanna feel and are sexy too, especially with big milk producing factories attached to their chests! But my boobs, the mammogram lady just confirmed are perfectly fine, healthy, and just the way they are supposed to be on me. More people should love their boobs the way my Grandma did and I do.

(Reminder: Get your boobies checked yearly by a qualified, nice boobie doctor, and do a self-check monthly too. Oh, and not every woman can or wants to breastfeed and that’s cool too. I never bought formula but I know it shouldn’t cost so much to feed a baby.)

How I went from bullies and Bible stories, to big boobs, breastfeeding, a reminder to get your mammogram, and love your breasts, is also a good lead into my Dolly audition!

Things are coming full circle, I promise.


I was able to audition for a Broadway Musical, and now say I have. I submitted my audition video for #SearchForDolly below. (Make sure to watch it!)

Can you believe I’ve only passed through New York City once ever? It was to take a cruise ship to Bermuda years ago with my family when I was in high school. My folks didn’t have the money for that. My Grandparents saved money religiously, and my Grandpa invested money aggressively for years. The trip was an anniversary gift they shared with the whole family and treated us. I’m very grateful for that experience. That also means, I’ve never been to a Broadway show in New York City either. That would be amazing. AND to perform on it’s stage?! Wow. Anything is possible. What’s next is uncertain, but I am so proud for trying and had great fun rehearsing this song “Coat of Many Colors.”

Watch my audition and cross your fingers for me! I posted my video to the Dolly Musical website and to my Instagram, connected to my Facebook, which are all linked here inside the Annie Lynn club at the top.

I love to tell my own stories, and telling Dolly Parton’s story would be an adventure of a lifetime!

Keep your chin up, and I’ll see you soon!

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