Marcia Haufrecht (born January 3, 1937 as Marcia Haufreucht) is an
American actress, playwright and director, as well as a noted acting
teacher and coach. A life member of The Actors Studio, and a longtime
member of The Ensemble Studio Theatre, she is also the founder and
artistic director of the Off-Off-Broadway company (and venue), The
Common Basis Theatre (originally The Common Ground Theatre).Haufrecht
was the first of three children born to Herbert and Judith
Haufreucht,[a] the former a noted pianist, composer, folklorist and
editor. A Manahattan native, born and bred, Ms. Haufrecht attended
Performing Arts High School, graduating in 1954 as a dancer.High
school diploma notwithstanding, Broadway was scarcely clamoring for "a
barefoot, modern dancer" (Haufrecht's own words), much less for one of
Ms. Haufrecht's diminutive stature and limited experience. That being
said, she made her Off-Broadway debut as an actress that September at
the Cherry Lane Theatre, with a small part in the Studio 12 [b]
limited-run revival of Jean-Paul Sartre's The Flies. Moreover,
undersized or not, Haufrecht nonetheless secured both her Broadway and
her professional dancing debuts just two months later, becoming one of
the final group of dancers engaged for the new musical, Plain and
Fancy. For this, she had the show's choreographer, Helen Tamiris, to
thank; a former colleague of Haufrecht's father, Tamiris fought hard
for her inclusion in the show.While deferring to their choreographer
on this particular casting decision, the show's producers stood firm
on the matter of billing. If they could not lengthen the dancer, nor
her résumé, then they could and would shorten and Americanize her
name; by the time of the show's opening in January 1955, Haufrecht
had, for public consumption, become Howard, and so she would remain
for at least six years.
American actress, playwright and director, as well as a noted acting
teacher and coach. A life member of The Actors Studio, and a longtime
member of The Ensemble Studio Theatre, she is also the founder and
artistic director of the Off-Off-Broadway company (and venue), The
Common Basis Theatre (originally The Common Ground Theatre).Haufrecht
was the first of three children born to Herbert and Judith
Haufreucht,[a] the former a noted pianist, composer, folklorist and
editor. A Manahattan native, born and bred, Ms. Haufrecht attended
Performing Arts High School, graduating in 1954 as a dancer.High
school diploma notwithstanding, Broadway was scarcely clamoring for "a
barefoot, modern dancer" (Haufrecht's own words), much less for one of
Ms. Haufrecht's diminutive stature and limited experience. That being
said, she made her Off-Broadway debut as an actress that September at
the Cherry Lane Theatre, with a small part in the Studio 12 [b]
limited-run revival of Jean-Paul Sartre's The Flies. Moreover,
undersized or not, Haufrecht nonetheless secured both her Broadway and
her professional dancing debuts just two months later, becoming one of
the final group of dancers engaged for the new musical, Plain and
Fancy. For this, she had the show's choreographer, Helen Tamiris, to
thank; a former colleague of Haufrecht's father, Tamiris fought hard
for her inclusion in the show.While deferring to their choreographer
on this particular casting decision, the show's producers stood firm
on the matter of billing. If they could not lengthen the dancer, nor
her résumé, then they could and would shorten and Americanize her
name; by the time of the show's opening in January 1955, Haufrecht
had, for public consumption, become Howard, and so she would remain
for at least six years.
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