Performance Dates
Friday, October 16 Senior Dress Rehearsal
Friday, October 16
Saturday, October 17
Sunday, October 18
Thursday, October 22
Friday, October 23
Step into the dazzling world of Hollywood’s golden age.
Weaving together the glitz and glamour of Marilyn Monroe's stardom with the vulnerability and strength of the woman behind the icon.
This must-see performance pays tribute to one of the most enduring legends of the 20th century.
Show Details
Run Time and Descriptions Approximately 2 hours
This ballet is a full length. Meaning, one ballet with intermissions, similar to a book with chapters. Act I: 52 minutes followed by a 20 minute intermission, concluding with Act II: 30 minutes.
This production is a collaboration between BalletMet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and Tulsa Ballet.
Choreography Dani Rowe
Dani Rowe is an internationally-renowned choreographer and current Artistic Director of Oregon Ballet Theatre.
After a ten-year career as a principal dancer with the Australian Ballet, Rowe joined Christopher Wheeldon’s Morphoses and Houston Ballet before joining Nederlands Dans Theater 1. There, she worked with luminaries Jiří Kylián, Crystal Pite, Mats Ek, Paul Lightfoot, Sol León, and more. Her rich career of performing, choreographing, and directing at the highest levels of dance has cultivated in her a curatorial aesthetic that blends cutting-edge programming alongside the best of classical and neoclassical genres.
Rowe has choreographed multiple works for San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and Royal New Zealand Ballet, to name a few.
Rowe’s work MADCAP (February 2023) for San Francisco Ballet was hailed a “triumph” (SF Chronicle). Her film Corps-en-tine for The Australian Ballet has been viewed over a million times online and was called “one of the best things to come out of quarantine” by VOGUE.
Upcoming choreographic commissions include Joffrey Ballet, Zurich Ballet, and more.
Dani lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two daughters.
Music Shannon Rugani
Shannon Rugani, a California native, is a multi-talented artist whose journey spans ballet, Broadway, and music composition. She trained at the prestigious San Francisco Ballet School on a full merit scholarship and joined San Francisco Ballet in 2004, becoming one of the youngest company members in the company’s history.
In 2014, Shannon transitioned to Broadway, where she joined the original cast of the Tony Award-winning musical An American in Paris. Five years later, she embarked on a new chapter as a singer-songwriter, performing under the stage name EMPRESS®. A lifelong musician who began composing at the age of 4, Shannon returned to her classical roots in 2023, composing symphonies for ballet.
Her latest milestone is a commission to create her first full-length ballet score, inspired by the life of Marilyn Monroe. The piece premiered at Oregon Ballet Theatre in Portland in April 2025 and will be performed by Tulsa Ballet in April 2026 and BalletMet in 2027. Her first commission, the Window, will be performed again at Pacific Northwest Ballet in November 2025.
Above all, Shannon’s most cherished role is that of mother to her daughter, born in January 2024—a new adventure that brings her unparalleled joy and fulfillment.
Collaborators
Marilyn Monroe™ ©The Estate of Marilyn Monroe LLC
This production is a collaboration between BalletMet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and Tulsa Ballet.
Digital Tickets
See below for quick answers to common questions regarding the BalletMet Digital Ticket Wallet!
En Face Magazine
“Marilyn offers a profound insight into the life of one of the most celebrated icons in history, blending modern and classical elements to create a powerful portrayal of fame and loss.”
Behind the Curtain
Davidson Theatre
Get DirectionsMake A Night Of It With Entertainment Before And After The Show.
Images by Jennifer Zmuda and Jingzi Zhao featuring Jessica Lind, Brian Simcoe, and OBT Dancers courtesy of Oregon Ballet Theatre.
Marilyn Monroe™; Rights of Publicity and Persona Rights are used with permission of The Estate of Marilyn Monroe LLC.
FAQ
Where do I park?
There are parking garages near the Ohio and the Capitol theatres, as well as limited metered street parking (most of which is free after 6 pm and on Sundays).
Ohio Statehouse Parking Garage
Enter from westbound Broad Street or Third Street.
Riffe Center Parking Garage
Enter from Front Street. Take the elevators to the third floor and proceed along the hall to the Davidson Theatre. (For the Box Office or Will Call, descend the escalators to the first floor.)
Downtown traffic can be heavy, so please plan ahead. We recommend arriving 20-30 minutes early to park, find your seat, explore the program and relax before the performance. Audience members who arrive late may not be seated until intermission.
What do I wear?
This is our most-asked question, and the answer is: You probably won’t feel out of place no matter what you wear. If you want to wear jeans, go for it—we promise you won’t be alone. If you want to dress up, feel free. Many others do, too. We don’t see as much formal-wear in the theater as we once did, though it wouldn’t be unusual to see a tux or a gown at a performance. Basically, anything goes.
Do the dancers talk?
No, dancers express the story or meaning through the movement. In some story ballets, dancers will use pantomime (exaggerated movements) to help you understand what’s happening. If you see a ballet with pantomime, head to the lobby, where we’ll have more information and guidance. If you ever struggle to follow along, feel free to chat with a BalletMet staff member in the lobby who will happily answer any questions you have.
When do I clap?
If you are wowed by something you just saw, please do applaud. At BalletMet, we love to hear clapping. It’s uplifting to those performing, as they can often feel your excitement and energy on stage. So applaud whenever you see fit! Note: Not every ballet company feels this way, so keep that in mind if you happen to be at another company’s performance.
Ticket Policy
All sales are final and tickets are non-refundable. Casting, program, schedule, and pricing subject to change without notice. BalletMet reserves the right to return and refund any tickets identified as being sold above face value, minus ticket fees.