Debra De Liso is a wildly successful human being and role model for all those who come in contact with her. Students as well as professional actors, writers, dancers and producers uniformly respect and adore her. She is a consummate performer, mentor, teacher, choreographer, and playwright with more than thirty years of compelling works of art behind her. As a mentor/artist/teacher she is warm, gentle, and firm and has the beautiful quality of sensing and drawing out each performer's strengths and passions, in both actor and dancers a like. This makes for very poignant statements in both verbal and non-verbal mediums. Debra is masterful at creating an environment of safety and freedom for exploration in both beginning and advanced students where finding one's voice is the focus creating substantive works of art is the goal. her as an artist, educator, and mentor. Her solo play about Isadora Duncan was for me a lifetime highlight, a theatrical dance event I will never forget. As her friend, I can attest to her extraordinary spirit and breathtaking humanitarianism. In her presence, one feels calm, hopeful, open, and at ease with the world.

Deb has specific qualities that I have not seen in combination before as an artist/educator and mentor. Her strength, steadfastness, courage, perseverance, patience, and truthfulness are what make her stand out. Her acute "intuneness" with each storyteller, their unique body language, ways of moving, and choice of words allowed her to "read behind the story."

I believe Debra must create a book that explores her singular method of Solo Performance. Without it, the theatre world will miss out on a brilliant addition.