Chris Harris (actor, director and writer)
Encyclopedia
Chris Harris is an English actor, director and writer. He has appeared in several UK TV series including Into the Labyrinth
and "Hey Look That's Me". More recently he has built a successful career in pantomime
, acting as a pantomime dame, as well being a director and writer at the Bristol Old Vic
and the Theatre Royal, Bath
. He lives in Portishead
in North Somerset
.
, then went into rep., which culminated in two years with the Bristol Old Vic
Theatre Company.
He attended the Jacques Lecoq
's L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq
in Paris, Ladislav Fialka
's Pantomime Company in Prague, and was for a short time at the Moscow State Circus
School. In 1966 he was in his first pantomime
at the Salisbury Playhouse
with Stephanie Cole
. Since 1976, he has performed his one-man comedy shows around the world.
He is a regular visiting lecturer for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
, and is a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company
. He co-directed the opera Griselda for the Buxton Festival
, and appeared in two productions for Dutch Television with members of the Welsh National Opera
.
He spent nine years, up until 2000 writing, directing and starring in pantomimes for the Bristol Old Vic
and since then has done the same for the Theatre Royal, Bath
.
Into the Labyrinth (TV series)
Into the Labyrinth is a British children's television series produced by HTV for the ITV network between 1980 and 1982. Three series, each consisting of seven 25-minute episodes, were produced and directed by Peter Graham Scott...
and "Hey Look That's Me". More recently he has built a successful career in pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, acting as a pantomime dame, as well being a director and writer at the Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
and the Theatre Royal, Bath
Theatre Royal, Bath
The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, is over 200 years old. It is one of the more important theatres in the United Kingdom outside London, with capacity for an audience of around 900....
. He lives in Portishead
Portishead, Somerset
Portishead is a coastal town on the Severn Estuary within the unitary authority of North Somerset, which falls within the ceremonial county of Somerset England. It has a population of 22,000, an increase of over 3,000 since the 2001 census, with a growth rate of 40 per cent, considerably in excess...
in North Somerset
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....
.
Career
Chris Harris studied drama at the Rose Bruford CollegeRose Bruford College
Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance is a British drama school, offering university-level and professional vocational training for theatre and performance and the BA and MA degrees, based in Sidcup, Southeast London.-History:Founded in 1950, Rose Bruford "pioneered the first acting degree...
, then went into rep., which culminated in two years with the Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
Theatre Company.
He attended the Jacques Lecoq
Jacques Lecoq
Jacques Pierre Lecoq born in Paris, was a French actor, mime and acting instructor.He is most famous for his methods on physical theatre, movement and mime that he taught at the school he founded in Paris, L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq from 1956 until his death in...
's L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq
L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq
L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq is a school of physical theatre situated in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. Founded in 1956 by Jacques Lecoq, the school is a professional two-year course...
in Paris, Ladislav Fialka
Ladislav Fialka
Ladislav Fialka was a mime from what is now the Czech Republic....
's Pantomime Company in Prague, and was for a short time at the Moscow State Circus
Moscow State Circus
The title “Moscow State Circus” is used for a variety of circuses. Most commonly, it refers to one of the two circus buildings in Moscow, the “” and the “Bolshoi Circus” , or to traveling shows which may or may not be directly related to Russia.The Russian Circus rose to world acclaim during the...
School. In 1966 he was in his first pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
at the Salisbury Playhouse
Salisbury Playhouse
Salisbury Playhouse is a theatre in the county of Wiltshire, it was built in 1976 and has two theatre spaces – the Main House and Salberg Studio ....
with Stephanie Cole
Stephanie Cole
Stephanie Cole, OBE is an English stage, television, and film actress, best known for playing characters a great deal older than her actual age.-Early life:...
. Since 1976, he has performed his one-man comedy shows around the world.
He is a regular visiting lecturer for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, opened by Laurence Olivier in 1946, is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, an organisation securing the highest standards of training in the performing arts, and is an associate school of the Faculty of Creative Arts of the University of the...
, and is a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
. He co-directed the opera Griselda for the Buxton Festival
Buxton Festival
The Buxton Festival is an annual summer festival of opera, music, and a literary series, held in Buxton, Derbyshire in England since it began in July 1979.-History:...
, and appeared in two productions for Dutch Television with members of the Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera is an opera company founded in Cardiff, Wales in 1943. The WNO tours Wales, the United Kingdom and the rest of the world extensively. Annually, it gives more than 120 performances of eight main stage operas to a combined audience of around 150,000 people...
.
He spent nine years, up until 2000 writing, directing and starring in pantomimes for the Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
and since then has done the same for the Theatre Royal, Bath
Theatre Royal, Bath
The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, is over 200 years old. It is one of the more important theatres in the United Kingdom outside London, with capacity for an audience of around 900....
.
Television appearances
- The Rocking Horse Winner - 1977
- Into the LabyrinthInto the Labyrinth (TV series)Into the Labyrinth is a British children's television series produced by HTV for the ITV network between 1980 and 1982. Three series, each consisting of seven 25-minute episodes, were produced and directed by Peter Graham Scott...
– 1982 - Hey Look That's Me - 1983
- Chasing Rainbows – A Nation and Its Music - 1986
Radio appearances
- The Chris Harris Road Show, BBC Radio Bristol.
- The Birds
- Hiawatha
- Harvey Angel
One-Man stage shows
- Kemp's Jig
- That's The Way To Do It!
- Ally Sloper's Half HolidayAlly Sloper's Half HolidayAlly Sloper's Half Holiday was a British comic, first published on 3 May 1884. It has a legitimate claim to being the first comic magazine named after and featuring a regular character...
- Beemaster
- Arris Music 'All
- A Night At The Pantomime
Books written or co-written by Chris Harris
- Will Kemp, Shakespeare's Forgotten Clown (1983), ISBN 0-907-12809-2
- The Alphabet of Pantomime: There be Nothing Like a Dame (2000) ISBN 0-953-92670-2
- Cinderella (2002), ISBN 0-856-76251-2
- Aladdin (2002) ISBN 0-856-76252-0
- Jack and the Beanstalk (2002)ISBN 0-856-76255-5
- Mother Goose (2002) ISBN 0-856-76256-3
- Babes in the Wood (2002) ISBN 0-856-76257-1
- Dick Whittington (2002) ISBN 0-856-76250-4
External links
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1668473/
- http://www.chrisharrisproductions.co.uk/biography%201.htm