The UK Pantomime Association (UKPA) is delighted to announce pantomime and showbiz legend Anita Harris as their new President.Anita Harris is a celebrated English singer, actress and entertainer whose career has spanned over six decades. Harris made her pantomime debut in 1962 in Babes in the Wood at the Gaumount Theatre, Southampton (now The Mayflower) and since then has appeared in over 20 pantomimes across the country from Edinburgh to Manchester, York, Birmingham, Coventry, Wimbledon, Richmond and Plymouth. She has appeared as Principal Boy, Principal Girl, Fairy and Villain, and most recently starred at the Theatre Royal Windsor from 2021 to 2023. Her illustrious career has seen her share the stage with many pantomime greats including Allan Stewart, Una McLean, Max Boyce, Dora Bryan, Jimmy Tarbuck, Jack Tripp, Billy Dainty, Terry Scott and Frankie Howerd.
Beyond pantomime, Anita spent two years as Grizabella in the West End production of Cats at the New London Theatre. She has also made her mark in film and television, appearing in twoCarry On films and starring in the children’s series Jumbleland. More recently she has taken on roles in Casualty, EastEnders, Midsomer Murders and appeared on Celebrity MasterChefin 2018. Harris is also an acclaimed singer and recording artist, with her recording career beginning in 1961 with EMI and the John Barry Seven. In the mid-1960s, she had a string of singles with her 1967 hit, ‘Just Loving You’, reaching Number 6 in the UK charts and selling over 600,000 copies.
Upon taking on the role, Anita Harris said, “I feel blessed and honoured to be made President of the UK Pantomime Association, a charity that not only pays tribute to the past years of pantomime but also encourages new talent and celebrates, with open arms, the future of the quintessential British artform that is pantomime.”
Simon Sladen, Chair of the UK Pantomime Association, added, “We are delighted to welcome Anita Harris as our new President. A true doyenne of pantomime and an iconic star of the entertainment industry, Anita brings not only her extraordinary talent and decades of experience delighting audiences across the country, but also her warmth and deep passion for the art form. We look forward to championing pantomime together under her Presidency.”
Anita Harris previously performed at The Pantomime Awards 2024 in Woking. Then in November, in her first role as President attended a Parliamentary Reception to highlight the vital role festive programming in theatres plays to the UK’s national cultural life. The event was sponsored by Samantha Niblett, MP for South Derbyshire, and attended by ACE Chief Executive Darren Henley and Chair Nicholas Serota, as well as Artistic Directors, Trustees and Practitioners of venues including Watford Palace Theatre, Sheffield Theatres, Nottingham Playhouse, Rifco Theatre Company, Customs House South Shields, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, Stratford East, Blackpool Grand Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. The event was hosted by Dame Bella Ballcock (Ray Spencer, resident dame at the Customs House in South Shields), with passionate speeches about the importance and significance of pantomime from Adam Penford (Artistic Director of Nottingham Playhouse), Pravesh Kumar (Artistic Director and CEO of Rifco Theatre Company) and Grace Venue (currently playing Tax Man in Mama Goose at Stratford East).
For more information about the UK Pantomime Association, visit here…
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