Dale is one of only 20 Fight Masters with the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD), and a prolific fight director with over 35 years experience staging the violence in more than 275 union productions in the US and Canada, as well as having over 500 additional professional, semi-professional and university credits in theatre, music theatre, opera and ballet.

Dale has over 35 years of professional educational experience, teaching courses and master classes on stage combat, acting, directing and stage/dramatic movement. He has served on faculty for professional actor training programs such as the Yale School of Drama, Asolo Conservatory/FSU, The National Theatre Conservatory/DCPA, the Hartt School/University of Hartford, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. As a Master Instructor of stage combat, Dale has trained and tested over 1,000 students for the SAFD Skills Proficiency Tests (SPT).

Dale is a SAG-AFTRA Stunt Coordinator, Performer and founding member of the North Carolina Stuntmen’s Association, having a career spanning over 35 years with over 100 credits in Film, Television and Commercials.

As an author, Dale has to his credit over 40 publications including books, articles and reviews on stage combat, acting, dramatic movement and historical swordplay. Recent publications include Actors On Guard (Routledge Press, 2nd edition 2021) and Fighting Words (Sordelet Ink, 2015).

As an actor (SAG-AFTRA), Dale started his career on the dramatic stage and in a variety of live action stunt shows. From the stage he moved to film, television and commercial acting. He has appeared in supporting roles in films such as Eyeborgs and Little Chicago and in featured roles for the YouTube series Assembly Required and a television/Internet healthcare commercial for Care Connections.

Dale spent nine years on the artistic staff of On Edge Productions, where he served as their principal stage director for numerous live-action productions. Since then, he has directed opera, musical theatre, and straight play productions throughout the country. Upcoming projects include Roméo et Juliette at the Seagle Festival in the summer of 2023.

Dale has been an active martial artist most of his adult life. He has trained in Arnis/Escrima, Ju Jitsu, Jun Fan Gung Fu, Tai Chi, Kurai Kotori Ryu Ninjutsu, Boxing/Kick Boxing, as well as Hopkido, Haidong Gumdo and Taekwondo. He is currently training for his 4th Dan/Master level in Taekwondo and Gumdo at Tiger Kim’s World Class Taekwondo where he is proudly serving as a senior instructor.

Dale is a certified Theatrical Firearm Safety Instructor (SAFD) with over 20 years of professional and educational experience teaching and training actors and stunt performers in the safe and proper use of blank-fire weapons. Working with performance-appropriate long-guns and handguns, he has coordinated firefights for feature films, stage plays, and stunt shows as well as teaching SAFD firearm safety certification courses.