Marin Ballet alumna, Monica Barbaro, has earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role in “A Complete Unknown,” the Bob Dylan biopic. As reported by Timothy Karoff in the January 23 issue of SFGate, Barbaro played the part of Joan Baez in the film starring Timothee Chalamet, who was also nominated for Best Actor.

Barbaro graduated from Marin Ballet in 2006. Her interest in acting began when she “got to disappear into the role” of Clara’s mischievous brother, “Fritz” in Marin Ballet’s Nutcracker.  Read our 2021 blog post about Monica to learn more about her meteoric career and her thoughts about the impact of ballet training.

Marin Ballet Director Catherine Hader said, “I had the privilege of seeing an advance screening of A Complete Unknown last December, and was very moved by Monica’s genuine, down-to-earth, and emotional portrayal of legendary folk musician, Joan Baez. Congratulations on a well-deserved nomination.”

Photo by Alessandra Benedetti-Corbis, courtesy of SF Gate