For decades, I’ve been known as the person to go to if you had an audition, especially a last-minute cold reading. When I opened my studio in 1986, it was rare to find a place where actors could actually learn how to audition. Most acting coaches were teaching scene study, but actors had no idea how to get the part. What they were learning in those classes didn’t always apply to the audition world.
I graduated from Ithaca College and did my graduate work in Speech Pathology and Audiology at Brooklyn College. I had no idea at the time that the knowledge I gained would lead me into the world of auditioning. But it made sense. I saw so many actors struggle with using the script and feeling forced to memorize.
In the 1970s, I worked with hundreds of international actors and used a technique I called “linking of words” to help reduce their accents. Then, in the late 1980s, I opened the Margie Haber Studio in Los Angeles and created Haber Phrasing — an approach that has been truly revolutionary in the acting world. The studio quickly attracted incredible talent and gave me the opportunity to work with some of our finest actors: Brad Pitt, Kyle Chandler, Téa Leoni, Vince Vaughn, Mariska Hargitay, and Halle Berry.
In the early 2000s, I wrote my first book, How to Get the Part Without Falling Apart, filled with advice and stories from successful students and top industry professionals. I introduced a 10-step method to help actors create characters with confidence and clarity. More recently, I published F** Your Comfort Zone*, which encourages actors to look at their own truths and create the psychological behavior of the character.
As I’ve grown older and wiser, so has my teaching. I don’t just teach auditioning anymore. My philosophy has shifted to one clear intention: be a complicated human being. I’m fascinated by imperfections. I love living in the unknown. I’m open, willing to grow, empathetic, and endlessly curious. These are the qualities I bring into the room and the ones I encourage my students to embrace.
Let go of being technical. Get out of your head. Embrace both discipline and messiness. Structure is your friend, control is your enemy. Let the relationship lead you. Live in your imagination, which is limitless. Say goodbye to script analysis that keeps you stuck in your head, and welcome the creation of life that lives in your body and behavior. Use the 10-step method as a guide — but do it organically, not mechanically.
My hope is that actors fall in love with the process and remember why they started creating in the first place.
Love,
Margie
___________________________________________________________________________
Are you ready to LIVE THE LIFE?
In this foundation training you’ll get a sweeping overview and understanding of Margie’s most important concepts. With more than 20 video lessons you’ll learn how to transform every audition into an exciting opportunity to make a powerful impact!
Most actors seem like they are “acting” because they don’t know how to experience all the rich sensations, memories, and relationships that fill a character’s life. In this Masterclass I’ll teach you how to create an entire world for a character, so you can act with intimacy and spontaneity.
