December 2007

Debra’s Play Analysis Class at California State University - Los Angeles (CSULA) wrote and performed original scenes for their final projects.

Debra choreographed Pamela Weber Studio’s Winter Choral Concert at the beautiful and historic Shakespeare Club in Pasadena.

November 2007

Debra worked as the co- designer and coordinator of costumes for the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts Full Circle Opera production of Beggar’s Opera.

October 2007

Debra played the supporting lead role of Ernest’s mother in the American Film Institute’s film In Ernest directed by Will Hernandez.

Debra worked with the wonderful playwright Jane Anderson in a reading of her play Quality of Life, going to the Geffin Theatre.

Debra directed Donna Ann Ward in her original, daring, and honest solo play Body Parts about a woman dealing with addiction, family ties, and childhood insecurities as an adult.

September 2007

Debra directed Fashion Sense a comedy episode of The Tyrants in Therapy television show with hilarious guest artist Brian Dyer.

Debra choreographed another Weber Studios Vocal Concert at the Pasadena Shakespeare Club with the talented students of Pamela Weber.

August 2007

Debra co-directed the musical Once On This Island with Bill Korf and Linda Brown. Alexandra De Liso Smith shared the lead role of Timoune in this haunting romance.

Debra taught an Improv Workshop at The University of Southern California (USC) to Journalism majors.

July 2007

Debra and her daughter Alex taught a theatre workshop sponsored by the Children’s Hospital - Los Angeles, for teen girls with Turner Syndrome. These young women have a rare genetic disorder, born without their ovaries, and their physical development in hindered. Their talent is not, and they thrived in the theatre environment.

Debra produced a benefit performance of Eve Ensler’s drama Necessary Targets at Throop Hall (Pasadena, CA) and raised money for a Bosnian woman’s newsletter supporting women’s writing.

Debra directed a taping of the Tyrants in Therapy comedy show at Comcast television studios.

May 2007

Debra directed an inspirational all female international cast in Eve Ensler’s Necessary Targets at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts – Los Angeles. This drama is based on true stories from women in Bosnian refugee camps and the American journalist who grew to embrace them.

April 2007

Debra continued to serve as the Faculty Mentor for MRS. Degree, the all female comedy troupe at USC.

Debra reprised her role as adjudicator for the talent show USC Songfest, with over 100 performers attending.

Debra directed Five Women Wearing the Same Dress at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts – Los Angeles campus.

Debra directed another delicious episode of the Tyrants in Therapy.

Debra was directed by her friend and noted screenwriter Brian Nelson in a reading of poems by the stirring nature romance writer Mary Oliver.

March 2007

Debra dramaturged and directed several Solo Plays with the talented, enthusiastic, and terrified acting students at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Debra was honored to play a role in the reading of Darfur Stories at Throop Hall in Pasadena, which was based on true accounts of the genocide that continues to plague the region.

HBO contacted Debra at USC to bring the scribe and pundit Robert Wuhl to her Improv class to “teach” an “Assume the Position 201” class to her students. Debra and her students had a great time being part of his classroom environment and giving him feedback for his show.

January 2007

Debra produced the comedy hip-hop solo play Token Cracker at Throop Hall in Pasadena. Her good friend and multi-talented Zoot played several different characters in his autobiographical play about growing up a disabled kid who becomes a dancer.

Debra dramaturged and directed a Solo Performance Workshop at the Elephant Theatre in Hollywood.

December 2006

Debra choreographed two vocal concerts for Pamela Weber Music Studios at the Shakespeare Club’s beautiful and historic Emmett House in Pasadena, where novice and professional singers alike display their vocal talents.

September 2006

Debra dramaturged and directed An Evening of Solo Plays at the Elephant Theatre in Hollywood.

She taught a series of playwriting classes for students at Manuel Arts School in South Central as part of the USC School of Theatre “Building Bridges” project hosted by fellow faculty member Anita Dashiel Sparks. Debra volunteered her playwriting guidance to high school students with behavioral and learning difficulties in danger of dropping out. The project was based on the students finding parallels with their own lives and those of the ancient Greek Deities.

July 2006

Debra choreographed the 1961 Broadway musical How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at Rio Hondo College, with Bill Korf at the helm.

In addition, Debra directed another episode of Tyrants in Therapy with Abbe Kanter and Michael Jaye.

April 2006

Debra directed and helped edit master yoga teacher Naader Shagagi’s “Curative Yoga” series. This is a collection of four extensive DVD’s showing Naader teaching and coaching the yoga students through his specialized teachings.

Debra dramaturged and directed eight original Solo Plays at the Scene Dock Theatre at USC.

March 2006

Debra directed a staged reading of Lynn Manning’s tragedy Up From the Down’s at the Inside the Ford Theatre in Hollywood.  This production is a contemporized version of Othello that takes place in Watts against a background of racial tension between Latinos and African Americans.

Debra also dramaturged and directed several original solo plays with her students at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. The creative and courageous plays were presented on March 20, 2006.

Debra was a judge for USC’s Songfest talent show. She adjudicated for over 100 performers.

February 2006

Debra completed a reading of Donald Freed’s 1951-2006 at the Arena Theatre at CSULA. Donald worked with Debra in the role of Margaret Anne McNally, an Irish Catholic teacher who ages from 31-86 in the course of the play.

December 2005

Debra was cast by Canadian film company Cufflink Productions director Andy Rich to play Florence Sutter, an obsessive mother in the dark comic boxing film Speed Bag. The committed production team drove 26 hours to Los Angeles to shoot scenes for their project. From left to right Gary Gill, Jordan Gray, Joey Coombes, Debra, and Director Andy Rich.

November 2005

Debra and her dear friend and theatre producer Raul Espinoza at the 2005 Ovation Awards held at the Orpheum Theatre. Debra is honored to be an Ovation Awards voter. The Ovation Awards are Southern California’s premiere awards for excellence in theatre.

The indie film ”Touched” by Warren Vanders starring Warren and Matt Valenti was chosen for the Japanese Spiritual Film Festival, which will begin in Japan and tour around the world in 2006. Debra served as the Associate Producer of this film.

October 2005

Debra appeared as a guest on USC’s TrojanVision talking about “Yoga and Acting.” Along with the master teacher Naader Shagagi (President of the Southern California Yoga Teacher’s Association,) and interviewed by a former USC student of hers, Joe Horton, we aired the live show discussing and demonstrating the common principles in both disciplines.

September 2005

Debra played the lead role in USC Graduate film “Dear Diane,” directed by USC Graduate student Margaret Kerrison.

Debra also choreographed, dramaturged, and directed sections of Aileen Mahoney’s critically acclaimed solo play As He Lay at the Whitmore Theatre in North Hollywood.

August 2005

Debra began meeting with award winning playwright Donald Freed on his latest play, the romantic political drama 1951-2006.  She is delighted to be originating the female lead role of Margaret Anne McNally. The play will be directed by Steve Rothman and produced in 2006.

This photo is of Debra standing with Gordon Davidson, the Founding Director of the Center Theatre Group.

Debra volunteered at the Mark Taper Forum’s “Vecino’s Night” for the performance of August Wilson’s Radio Golf.  Debra was employed at the Mark Taper Forum in 1982 –83 as a receptionist, then a literary assistant, and then as an actor.

June 2005

Debra performed the role of Laura in “Brief Encounter” in an evening of Noel Coward scenes presented by the Classical Theatre Lab.

May 2005

Debra elected to serve on the Screen Actor’s Guild Nominating Committee for SAG Actors performances on television.



She began collaboration with the Los Angeles Actors Academy (LAAA), a Korean Film Production Company, as a Senior Instructor of Acting.  She began teaching weekly theatre and film acting classes to professional and beginning actors.

In addition, Debra directed a solo performance comedy: The Rabbi’s Daughter for debut at the Kibitz Room at Canter’s Deli in Hollywood.



Debra is delighted to be the Faculty Mentor for Mrs. Degree, the USC all female Improv Troupe.

Photo is of USC Theatre Student Leslie Donester’s Solo Performance piece about an intern who is stressing over a medical center’s financial crisis. Debra guided the writing and performance of this piece.

March 2005

Debra participated in a playwriting workshop at the Theatre at Boston Court with playwright, master teacher Jean-Claude van Itallie.

Debra also attended a playwriting/performance workshop with hip/hop theatre artist Danny Hoch at USC.

“Nordiska” Scandinavia’s largest publishing company requested a reading copy of the play “Cock Tales” created by Debra in 2003. The company is considering publishing the play.

February 2005

Debra attended a USC School of Theatre workshop on Shakespeare with Sir Peter Hall.

In this photo, Debra is directing the talented Time Winters in an episode of the comedy Tyrants in Therapy for Comcast Cable.

November 2004

Debra assisted Leon Katz dramaturgically on his new musical Dubya and the Gang of Seven.

Along with her USC School of Theatre students, she attended an afternoon with John Kani, a South African Director, Playwright, Actor and Humanitarian.

October 2004

“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”

Debra enjoyed sold-out performances of, and standing ovations for, the musical comedy at the Secret Rose Theatre. She had the pleasure of directing and performing in this production with a delightfully talented cast.

September 2004

The “Sledge Hammer!” (The First Season) was just released on DVD.  Debra is featured in the “State of Sledge” episode, where she played “Angel,” who leads her wild punk gang into the police precinct to break out her boyfriend from jail! Debra received a thanks from writer/producer Alan Spencer saying that the DVD release was a hit and that Debra’s episode was among his favorites!

Debra is also working with screenwriter Giancarlo Covelli as he rewrites his screenplay The Killing Knight.  Debra will also be directing this project as well.

August 2004

Debra directed a location shoot on Hollywood Boulevard for a Tyrants in Therapy (husband and wife cable television comedy team) episode.

July 2004

Debra was a featured actor in the autograph section of the San Diego ComiCon, a huge Comic Book convention.

Debra directed, co-wrote, and acted in Mobile Sex Therapy, a comedy segment for the Tyrants in Therapy television show.

Debra as Dr. Ophelia Bloom, in the television comedy “Mobile Sex Therapy” with Tyrants in Therapy’s Abbe Kanter and Michael Jaye.

June 2004

Choreographed a vocal music concert for Weber Studios.

Directed a reading of a new play, “The Dark Ages,” by Laurel Olstein commissioned by Playwright’s Arena.

May 2004

College Girls - written and directed by Debra De Liso

Debra directing two USC students: Anne Johnson and Mikhaila Aaseng in her play College Girls

Debra was inspired by her students to write for young women during the turbulent, joyful, and frightening college years.  The show was performed at Village Gate Theatre, USC

April 2004

Release of new DVD Something to Scream About

Debra was a featured actress interviewed about her work in horror films:




Debra autographing copies of Attack of the Killer B’s a new book about the making of “B Movies” she is featured in.

Debra appeared for a videotaped interview, as one of the actresses in the new documentary film Something To Scream About at the Burbank Hilton’s Weekend of Wonder Conference of Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy Films.

March 2004

Played a crazy woman in an independent short film called The Bug.

February 2004

With playwright, mentor, and friend Leon Katz after a reading of “Sonya” at Greenway Court Theatre. Debra has enjoyed collaborating on eight theatre projects with Leon



Debra played Sasha Tolstoy opposite Salome Jens in the lead role.

Debra poses with DVDs at the VirginMegastore in Hollywood for the release of Something to Scream About.

Debra was a featured actress at a DVD signing at the Virgin Megastore in Hollywood, celebrating the release of Something to Scream About, a documentary film with interviews and film clips from nine low-budget horror film actresses.

January 2004

Debra directing the cast of On Fatal Ground at the Zephyr Theatre in Hollywood


Jay Kowai, Noah Wagner, and Debra

Debra directed and played the lead role in “On Fatal Ground,” a new play by Dr. LaDonna Hayes about her personal battle with Multiple Sclerosis, produced at the Zephyr Theatre by Irene Oppenheim.

Directed “Ain’t Over Yet,” a music video with the Tyrants in Therapy, a husband and wife comedy singing/songwriting team for Comcast cable

Directed comedy team “The Tyrants in Therapy” in their live performance at the Cinema bar in Culver City

Debra recorded the voices of two lead roles for the animatic of “Twin Princes” a feature length animated film written by Emmy winner Brooks Wachtel and produced by Filmmaker Young Man Kang.

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The creative team of Twin Princes

November 2003

Debra dramaturged and directed an original play called Oops, I Killed My Mother, written and performed by Ruth Otero, an up-and-coming Latina comedian. The play was later featured in the Latino Playwriting series at the John Anson Ford Theatre.

Debra created, directed, and produced “Cock Tales,” which ran for a total of ten months, through August 2003. Clint Mitchell, Senior Talent Agent at the William Morris Agency, is now representing the play. Theatre companies in Chicago, St. Louis, Houston, New York, and London have requested the script.



Debra volunteered for the SRO Conference, a three-day event serving the Los Angeles Theatre Community.

May 2003

Debra was delighted to have been chosen to be a participant in the 2003 Director’s Lab West, which was a week of classes, seminars, and performances, and meetings of 40 West Coast Theatre Directors held at the Pasadena Playhouse and the Boston Court Theatre.

On the set of “Touched” with Warren Vanders:

Debra brought in students from USC and AADA to work on the film.

Debra served as Associate Producer and Special Assistant to the Director/Writer/Actor Warren Vanders.

March 2003

June 2003

2002

December 2002

Debra choreographed Studs Terkel’s musical “Working” at Rio Hondo College under the direction of Bill Korf.

September 2002

Debra played the lead female role of Elizabeth in “The Dukes Development” in the National Play Award festival under the direction of Artists Repertory Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director Jon Kretzu.

June 2002

Debra was filmed the documentary Something to Scream About.  She was featured as one of nine actresses who have autobiographical stories about the making of horror films.

Debra directed and dramaturged Monica Palacio’s one woman comedy Queer Soul at Highways Performance Space. Monica is a stand up comedian who is known as the “Lesbian Latina” and was an original member of Culture Clash.

February 2002

Debra wrote, choreographed, and played Isadora Duncan in her solo play Isadora’s Dream, directed by Willard Sims. Rio Hondo College featured Debra’s performance in their season of “Arts and Cultural Events.”  Debra received a standing ovation for her performance.

Debra directed and choreographed the endearing musical Stepping Out at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. This wacky group of British amateur tap dancers come together to create projects.

2001

2000

December 2000

Debra dramaturged and directed the original production at the Coronet Studio Theatre in Los Angeles.The Verses of Ogden Nash written by and starring Peter Massey. In August 2002, to celebrate the centennial of Nash's birth, Versus was produced by Actor's Conservatory Ensemble at the S. Mark Taper Foundation Amphitheatre in Coldwater Canyon Park (rave review from Tom Hatten, KNX Radio) and then served as the keynote presentation before 1200 members of the Famous Poets Society at the DisneyWorld Hyatt Hotel in Orlando, FL. played in Florida for a conference on writers.

April 2000

Debra co-directed the world premiere of “ Beds” at the Stella Adler Theatre. Created by renowned playwright-scholar-dramaturg Leon Katz, three of the last century's most celebrated and obsessed lovers reveal their most private and intimate thoughts, spoken from the sheltered comfort of their individual Beds. Alice B. Toklas, Oscar Wilde, and Oscar Kokoschka ruminate about love, sexuality and death, expressing the most secret thoughts from the darkest recesses of the minds of three of the most celebrated, most ambivalent, most obsessed lovers of the past century.

February 2000

“The Other Door” an original one-act play Debra directed went onto the American College Theatre Festival Regional Finals in Las Vegas!

Debra directed an adaptation of “Spoon River Anthology” at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts for the second year student’s exam plays.

Debra was Lynn Manning’s Guest Artist at the Mark Taper Forum’s Other Voices workshop.  Debra shared scenes from my solo play “Nurse June” about my disabled mother.  Debra subsequently became a dramaturg for some of the plays that were work shopped.

1999

October 1999

Debra directed the staged reading of “One Shoe Untied” for the National play Award Festival. This play by Marla Dean, was one of the five top finalists in a national play search.

For the Rio Hondo College One Act Play festival, Debra directed “The Other Door” an original one-act play based on a true story of a young Polish girl who narrowly escapes Nazi imprisonment.

September 1999

As a California Arts Council Artist in Residence, Debra directed and dramaturged an original play called “The Buckners” at the California Rehabilitation Center, a medium security prison in Norco, California. The student inmates performance was quite moving and inspirational to the inmate population that attended as well as industry professionals who were audience members.

Debra received several favorable reviews as the over-bearing mother, Lorraine, in Sam Shepard’s “Lie of the Mind” directed by Danny LeClare at the Lillion Theatre in Hollywood.

August 1999

Debra choreographed “Blackbird” an original one-woman play about Zelda Fitzgerald written by Willard Sims for a production at the Longwharf Theatre.

Debra taught a Restoration Movement workshop to the cast members of the Classical Theatre Lab who were in “The Libertine.”

As an actor in the wonderful Los Angeles based acting company The Classical Theatre Lab, Debra worked with Alan Rickman in classical scene study. Debra also spent the summer having weekly acting classes working on Shakespearean scenes with Alfred Molina.

Debra choreographed and co-directed with Leon Katz “Chavez;Going Toward the Light.” This world premiere starring Edgar Garcia was produced at the Tracy Roberts Theatre in N. Hollywood.

July 1999

Debra served as a Guest Artist for Lynn Manning’s “Difussion Project” at the L.A. Theatre center working with playwright’s with disabilities.

June 1999

Debra choreographed “The Rehearsal” a hilarious Restoration comedy performed by the Classical Theatre Lab and directed by Elizabeth Huffman.

May 1999

Debra choreographed a production of “An Evening of Israel Horovitz’ including the play “Line” at the Lillion Theatre in Hollywood. Debra also stepped into the role of Ruth in Horovitz’ “Stage Directions” after a lead actress suddenly left.

April 1999

Debra read over 30 scripts for the National Repertory Theatre Foundations National Play Award Contest.

February 1999

Debra began rehearsals with Seashell a paroled inmate from C.R.C. on an original dance “In My Shoes.”

January 1999

Debra was an Artist in Residency at the California Arts Council Asilomar Conference in Monterey. It was an extraordinary weekend of performances and workshops. It was there she met Mr. Lynn Manning, in which she would have several future happy collaborations.

Debra choreographed Book IX of the “The Iliad” with the Classical Theatre Lab for a production at the Strasberg Theatre, under the direction of Kent Minault.  Later, this production was performed for the American Anthropological Association.

1998

Debra recorded the voices of Rachagal, the Matriarch of the planet Protos, and the Valkyrie pilot, in “Star craft: The Brood War” a popular C.D.ROM game by Blizzard Entertainment.

Debra chorepgraphed “Gretty Good Time” for the Mark Taper Theatre’s Other Voices Project. The original play was written by John Belluso and directed by Shirley Jo Finney. The play later went onto regional theatres throughout the U.S.

Debra co-directed an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Whittier” with Tony Carriero for Rio Hondo College’s Summer Theatre in the Park.

Debra was a Guest Artist presenting “Creating the One-person Show” workshop at UCLA for their Samovar Series working with UCLA theatre majors.

Debra choreographed and played several roles in Leon Katz’ dark drama “Justine” at the Evidence Room in Culver city. The Drama Logue- Backstage West had quite a favorable review of Debra's choreography.

1997

Debra played several roles in the world premiere of Leon Katz’ biography G.B.S. in Love. Especially satisfying was acting opposite Mr. Katz as he played George Bernard Shaw and Debra played Mrs. Patrick Campbell.

Debra choreographed Books I-V of “The Iliad” for the ongoing epic staging of the Classical Theatre Lab’s production at the 24^th street Theatre. Kent Minault directed. Ron Canada and James Park played the leads.

Debra played the role of Tanya, Tolstoy’s daughter, in the biographical drama, The Countess Tolstoy, about the last days of Leo Tolstoy’s life. The production was written and directed by Leon Katz.

Debra choreographed Heidi Helen Davis’ production of Three Penny Opera at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum. Debra had the pleasure of working with the gracious Ellen Geer in the role of Pirate Jenny.

Debra wrote and performed my first One-Person show The Nurse June Show about her disabled mother, as her Master’s Thesis at UCLA.

Debra graduated from UCLA with my MFA in Acting. She won the Jack Nicholson Prize for Acting.

Debra choreographed Willard Simm’s poetic drama Haunted Wilderness with the joyful collaboration of director Jules Aaron.

1996

Debra had received a Graduate Fellowship for the Masters of fine arts at the University of California at Los Angeles in 1994, and in 1996 Debra was steep in my studies. She had the pleasure of being directed by several talented directors such as Leon Katz, David Schweitzer, Salome Jens, Kent Gash, Tim Miller, to name a few.  Debra played the lead female role in the adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s’ The Possessed, several characters in Buchner’s Leonce and Lena, the role Lucille Ball originated in Stage Door, and a lady of the night in Aphra’s Behn’s The Rover.