Grace-Anne Powers rehearses a scene for BalletMet’s upcoming production of Marilyn, which explores the life of the iconic Marilyn Monroe. Credit: Jennifer Zmuda.

Behind the fame and glamor, Marilyn Monroe faced personal struggles that came with living in the public eye. BalletMet is bringing her story to life through dance in its upcoming production of “Marilyn.”

The ballet will run Friday through Oct. 24 at the Davidson Theatre, located at 77 S. High St., celebrating what would have been Monroe’s 100th birthday. The production is a collaboration between BalletMet, Oregon Ballet Theatre and Tulsa Ballet, featuring original choreography by Dani Rowe and music composed by Shannon Rugani, according to the event’s website.

Sue Porter, executive director of BalletMet, said the idea for the production began more than three years ago, when an artistic director proposed creating a ballet celebrating Monroe’s life. The three ballet companies then worked together to develop the concept.

Monroe was an actress and model who grew up in a series of orphanages and foster homes, and was discovered by a photographer before signing her first movie contract with 20th Century-Fox in 1946, according to the BBC website. By 1955, Monroe was often referred to as merely a “dumb blonde” character in her movies, but was determined to become a successful comic actress.?

Porter said Rowe, artistic director of Oregon Ballet Theatre, created a retrospective of Monroe’s life in choreographing the performance, beginning with her childhood and following her rise to fame, relationships and experiences with the paparazzi, up until her death of a drug overdose in 1962, according to the History website.?

“[Rowe] came up with this beautiful way to tell the story from a perspective that I think just shows, ‘Here’s this iconic person, but she had highs and lows in her life,’” Porter said.

Dancers rehearse a scene featuring paparazzi for BalletMet’s upcoming production of Marilyn, which explores the life of the iconic Marilyn Monroe. Credit: Jennifer Zmuda.

One of the ballerinas portraying Monroe, Grace-Anne Powers, said she felt intimidated when she found out she would be playing the part, because she felt audiences would have very specific ideas of her coming into the production.?

“In ballet, we portray fantasy characters,” Powers said. “[Monroe] was a real human being that had real experiences and I’m trying to portray her story with justice.”

Powers said in preparation for her performance, she researched Monroe by reading books and watching documentaries and her most iconic movies, such as “Some Like it Hot,” “The Misfits” and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” according to the IMDb website.

One of the most difficult parts of portraying Monroe, Powers said, is knowing when to show the glamorous side of her, compared to when it’s appropriate to portray Monroe in her personal life. She said Monroe had a specific look, and she is focused on recreating her iconic smile in a way that looks natural.

“She’s just a really captivating character to portray, and I love that it’s not all glitz and glam,” Powers said. “I love that you get to dive into who she really was [and] try and imagine who she was as a normal human being.”?

Powers said the ballet does not shy away from Monroe’s difficult childhood, as it incorporates her experiences in foster families and her mother’s struggle with schizophrenia.

The performance also portrays Monroe’s third marriage to Arthur Miller, a playwright with whom Monroe had an affair with and married in 1956, according to a Guardian article, as one of the happiest moments of Monroe’s life, Powers said. She is portraying that relationship onstage alongside her own husband, Austin Powers.?

Powers said Monroe loved children and wanted to have children of her own, making her miscarriage and loss portrayed in the second act a particularly emotional moment.

“It kind of just hit me, and I didn’t realize how much it would affect me in the studio,” Powers said. “As a performer, you put yourself into the shoes of the person you’re portraying — that sort of loss and wants, and then her trying to connect to and relate to the people around her, feeling that sort of community.”?

Unlike traditional theatre productions, Porter said ballet relies on movement, costumes and music, rather than dialogue, to tell a story.

“The way the dancers show the emotion in Marilyn’s life — that the choreographer has decided to put on stage — they are so expressive and it is so emotional,” Porter said. “To see it on stage, using your body as the way to tell the story [is] phenomenal.”?

Without dialogue, Porter said audiences are able to experience the story regardless of language barriers, making the production accessible to a wide range of viewers.

Powers said Rowe has given the dancers specific steps and a narrative to follow, along with emotions she wants them to communicate at certain moments, and Powers said she has researched these moments to better understand Monroe.

“If you don’t make it feel true to yourself and how you’re saying something and portraying something, then it doesn’t really read or hit true to the audience,” Powers said.

While BalletMet frequently performs classical productions such as “The Nutcracker” and “Swan Lake,” Porter said “Marilyn” gives audiences the chance to see a more contemporary story.?

“Those are classic tales, but we also want to make sure that we’re telling new stories, and ‘Marilyn’ is a new story,” Porter said.?

Porter said bringing new productions to Columbus allows BalletMet to continue connecting with its community through original performances.?

“We are so excited that the community has allowed us to create this special group here in the city and come see it because it is phenomenal work,” Porter said. “It’s a beautiful story.”?

Although the choreography stays the same, Porter said each company’s dancers bring their own interpretations and emotions to the production.

“Two dancers aren’t going to do things exactly the same,” Porter said. “That’s the beauty of live performance and live dance, that people can add to that.”?

Powers said through the performance, she hopes audiences see the woman behind Monroe’s public image, rather than just the Hollywood icon.

“I find that she is very relatable, and it’s been really wonderful to kind of learn more behind the persona that she created of “Marilyn Monroe,” and trying to figure out who she was as a person,” Powers said.?

The approximately two-hour production will include two acts and a 20-minute intermission, according to the event’s website.

Rush tickets can be purchased for $15, available for college students and K-12 teachers with a valid ID, depending on availability on BalletMet’s website. Tickets can be purchased at the theater’s box office beginning two hours before each performance.