An accomplished stage actress, Hale made her professional debut at Stratford as a walk-on. She subsequently appeared in rep at Canterbury, Windsor and Ipswich; then at the Playhouse, Liverpool in 1967, where her parts included the title role in "Gigi", and Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet". At the Thorndike Theatre in Leatherhead in October 1975 she played Eliza Doolittle in "Pygmalion", followed by an acclaimed portrayal of Nina, opposite Alan Bates, in Chekhov's "The Seagull" at the Playhouse, Derby in July 1976, making her West End debut in the production when it transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre in August 1976. Other roles included: Marie Caroline David in "The Tribades" (Hampstead Theatre Club, May 1978); Melanie in "Boo Hoo" (Open Space Theatre, July 1978); and Bobbi Michele in Neil Simon's "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" (Royal Exchange, Manchester, April 1979 – transferring to the Criterion Theatre in November 1979).