Debra De Liso Talks 'Wilma, Wu, and a stripper named Lorraine' at DWF:LA - Interview
Writer, Director and Co-Star Debra De Liso talks about her debut film, 'Wilma, Wu, and a stripper named Lorraine' world premiering at Dances With Films: Los Angeles.
Award-winning writer, director and performer Debra De Liso is bringing her debut feature film, ‘Wilma, Wu, and a Stripper Named Lorraine’, to audiences at Dances With Films: Los Angeles (DWF:LA), where it will make its world premiere Sunday, June 28, 2026 at 5 p.m.
A longtime theater artist whose career spans acting, directing, writing, choreography and teaching, De Liso has directed more than 800 original one-person plays through the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, USC and professional productions. Her community-based theater work has reached prisons, artists with disabilities and girls with Turner syndrome, earning her the 2014 Rainbow Award from the LA Women’s Theatre Festival for her commitment to multicultural and diverse communities.
Through her production company, Walk A Mile Works, and the Theatre of Compassion Academy, De Liso continues to champion storytelling as a tool for connection and understanding. While she has written, produced and directed hundreds of stage productions, ‘Wilma, Wu, and a Stripper Named Lorraine’ marks her first feature film as writer, director and co-star.
The comedy-drama follows a washed-up burlesque dancer who joins forces with an eccentric group of misfits, church ladies, hustlers and dreamers to save a beloved desert cantina from closing. Along the way, a feuding mother and daughter are forced to confront what they’re willing to hold onto and what they’re ready to leave behind.
The film also stars comedic legend Colleen Camp, Elizabeth Wu, Alexandra De Liso Smith, Michele Michaels, Johnny Paddio and Time Winters.
In this interview, De Liso discusses bringing her first feature to the screen, the themes that drive her work and what audiences can expect from this heartfelt ensemble story.
‘Wilma, Wu, and a Stripper Named Lorraine’ is completely sold out, but check back at https://danceswithfilms.com/2026-wilma-wu-and-a-stripper-named-lorraine/ for in case of ticket cancelations.
TCL Chinese Theatre is located at:
6925 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028