Debra Hale
For the past 30 years Debra Hale has taught actors, business people and others who are curious about exploring their speaking voice. Graduating with an MFA in Acting from Cal Arts she began working as an actor in Shakespeare repertory in Louisville KY and then in theaters and commercials in Los Angeles. In LA she won an LA Critics Award for Best Ensemble Acting and became a member of Equity, SAG and VASTA. She studied with Master Teacher Fran Bennett before becoming Designated by Kristin Linklater in 1993. After teaching Linklater voice privately from her home studio in Los Angeles, she was invited to join the faculty in the MFA Acting programs at both Indiana University and later at the University of California San Diego. She won grants to explore different cultural approaches to bodywork and sound - one of which took her to Thailand to study Chi Nei Tsang (internal organ massage with sound). She is also a certified Viniyoga teacher after training with Gary Kraftsow for two years at the American Viniyoga Institute. She has coached voice, acting and dialect in several regional theatres throughout the country including Indiana Repertory, Shakespeare and Company, San Diego Repertory, The Irish Classical Repertory (New York), Asolo Repertory, and several shows at the La Jolla Playhouse. Directing credits include Indiana University, Florida State, and the Tallahassee Theatre. Deb has given workshops in Hawaii, Thailand, Scotland, England, Wales, Greece, Budapest, and France. She taught in Florida State University’s BFA Acting program for 20 years where she gained tenure as an Associate Professor. Shortly before her retirement from FSU, she won a University Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. She teaches Voice, Acting, Shakespeare, Public Speaking, Dialects and Yoga. A proud founding member of the Linklater Centre in Orkney Scotland, she was honored to assist Kristin Linklater in her final years by observing her ever-evolving voice technique, gaining new insights and participating in training new teachers. She continues to teach from her studio in North Florida.