Ruth Hale (playwright and actress)
Encyclopedia
Ruth Hale was an American
playwright
and actress.
Hale was born in Granger, Utah
and was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Hale and her husband, James Nathan Hale, moved to California
to seek out opportunities in Hollywood. With little success landing film roles, they founded the Glendale
Centre Theater. Ruth Hale wrote many original plays for the venue. Soon, they and their extended family had opened a number of theaters featuring a center stage (arena theaters or Theater in the round) throughout Utah
and Arizona
.
The Hales were also playwrights. They wrote their first play Handcart Trails to save on the budget of a ward play production in Granger in the 1930s. This play was published in the MIA Book of Plays in 1940. The Hales' play Melody Jones was shown to a national audience by Kurt Television Theatre.
She is the grandmother of director
Kurt Hale
, actor Will Swenson
, Hale Centre Theatre CEO Mark Dietlein
and illustrator Nathan Hale.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and actress.
Hale was born in Granger, Utah
West Valley City, Utah
West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 129,480 at the 2010 census,...
and was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Hale and her husband, James Nathan Hale, moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to seek out opportunities in Hollywood. With little success landing film roles, they founded the Glendale
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
Centre Theater. Ruth Hale wrote many original plays for the venue. Soon, they and their extended family had opened a number of theaters featuring a center stage (arena theaters or Theater in the round) throughout Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
The Hales were also playwrights. They wrote their first play Handcart Trails to save on the budget of a ward play production in Granger in the 1930s. This play was published in the MIA Book of Plays in 1940. The Hales' play Melody Jones was shown to a national audience by Kurt Television Theatre.
She is the grandmother of director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Kurt Hale
Kurt Hale
Kurt Hale is an American movie director. He was the director of The Singles Ward, The RM, The Singles 2nd Ward and Church Ball.Hale was one of the founders of Halestorm Entertainment along with David Hunter....
, actor Will Swenson
Will Swenson
William Swenson is an American actor, writer and film director best known for his work in musical theatre. He also has developed a film career, primarily in Mormon cinema...
, Hale Centre Theatre CEO Mark Dietlein
Mark Dietlein
Mark Dietlein was a co-founder and is the current president and chief executive officer of Hale Center Theatre in Utah. He is also a current member of the Young Men General Board of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
and illustrator Nathan Hale.
Director and producer
- Oliver Cowdery: Witness to the Book of Mormon (1954)- Sceenplay writer and co-producer with her husband.
- A Choice Land (1954)- producer.
- Is Fast Day A Headache (1956)- producer.
Actor
- Pioneers in Petticoats (1969)
- The Singles WardThe Singles WardThe Singles Ward is a 2002 LDS cinema comedy film directed by Kurt Hale and written by Kurt Hale and John E. Moyer based on his own life as a stand up comedian and single member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
(2002) - The R.M.The R.M.The R.M. is a 2003 comedy film about the experiences of an LDS returned missionary. "RM" is an LDS initialism for "returned missionary." It was written by Kurt Hale and John E. Moyer and directed by Kurt Hale.-Overview:...
(2003) - The Home TeachersThe Home TeachersThe Home Teachers is a 2004 comedy film written by John Moyer and directed by Kurt Hale. The Home Teachers is a comedy distributed by Halestorm Entertainment and intended for LDS audiences, or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints....
(2004)