Advanced Intensive For Adults

Diane Charles

Diane Charles brings a rare combination of artistic, psychological, and industry experience to the Advanced Acting Program at Margie Haber Studio. As an actor, producer, director, executive producer, and master acting coach, she has worked on every side of the business, giving actors a practical understanding of what it takes to build lasting careers while creating truthful, emotionally connected work.

Known by many of her students as an “Emotional Ninja,” Diane has an extraordinary ability to help actors access authentic emotional truth while remaining grounded, present, and connected.

Actors Diane has coached have gone on to book:

Series Regular, Lead Film, and Lead Theatre roles in The Irrational, Acapulco, Stumble, St. Denis Medical, Michael, Bosch: Legacy, The Chosen, Hamilton, and Wild Rose.

Guest Star and major recurring roles in For All Mankind, The Pitt, Matlock, 1923, Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole, and Beef.

As an Executive Producer, Diane received Emmy and Producers Guild Award nominations for Showtime’s Web Therapystarring Lisa Kudrow. She has produced more than 270 celebrity-driven projects featuring artists including Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Mindy Kaling, and Will.i.am. She also directed the feature film The Choices We Make, holds a screenwriting credit, and served as acting coach on the international feature Jungle Cry.

Before moving into producing, Diane worked professionally as an actor in television, film, and theatre in both Chicago and Los Angeles. She holds a BA in Theatre from Indiana University, trained extensively in the Meisner Technique in Chicago, and later earned an MA in Psychology from Antioch University. This unique combination of artistic training and psychological understanding has become the foundation of her coaching.

In addition to teaching at Margie Haber Studio, Diane is regularly sought out by managers, agents, casting directors, directors, and producers to prepare actors for auditions, series regular roles, feature films, and stage productions. She also consults with productions, brands, and creative teams to help actors and ensembles develop truthful, collaborative work.

At the heart of Diane’s teaching is a simple belief: actors do their best work when they trust themselves. Her classes are designed to replace fear with confidence, helping actors develop emotional freedom, deeper instincts, and the courage to live truthfully under imagined circumstances. What makes Diane truly exceptional is not only her experience, but her genuine investment in the people she teaches. She celebrates every student’s growth and considers it a privilege to be part of their artistic journey.

Jim Nieb

Jim brings over 35 years of performance and teaching experience to the Margie Haber Studio in Los Angeles. Jim began his professional acting career in 1991 performing improv and stand-up comedy in the D.C. area.

Since then, he has done it all: clowning with the Big Apple Circus’ Clown Care Unit at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, Shakespeare in the park, fire-eating, celebrity impersonations, film, television, and dozens of commercials. He has worked with directors such as J.J. Abrams (Star Trek) and Clint Eastwood (Changeling), and has frequently appeared in comedy sketches on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Though comedy has always been one of Jim’s strengths, supported by training with ComedySportz LA and The Groundlings, his dramatic work is deeply rooted in truth and grounded in the Meisner technique, which he studied at Playhouse West from 2005 to 2010.

Teaching is a true passion for Jim. He was drawn to the Margie Haber Studio by Margie’s empowering philosophy and the studio’s supportive, actor-centered environment. Her emphasis on getting out of your head and into your body aligns perfectly with his Meisner-based approach, helping actors access more authentic and truthful performances.