The Harris Family
The Harris Family is an American family of entertainers associated with experimental theater, music, film, cabaret and performance art.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Harris Family is an American family of entertainers whose collective and individual careers span theater, music, film, television, broadcast media, cabaret and performance art. The family became particularly associated with the Off-Off-Broadway movement that developed in New York City during the 1960s, when small experimental venues such as La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Caffe Cino and Judson Poets Theater provided an alternative to commercial Broadway and conventional Off-Broadway production. Their work also extended to San Francisco and Europe, where family members participated in countercultural theater and performance communities. The family’s theatrical activities began in Clearwater, Florida. George Edgerly Harris Jr., after serving in the Army Air Corps during the Second World War, married Ann Marie McCanless in 1948. The couple raised a large family and became interested in acting through the Francis Wilson Playhouse in 1959 and 1960. In 1961, Ann and her son George E. Harris III converted the family garage into a small theater and established the El Dorado Players, an amateur company made up of Harris children and neighborhood friends. The group staged short musicals and adaptations, produced a homemade film about the Titanic, and attracted local press attention. These successes encouraged the family to pursue professional theater in New York. George Harris Jr. moved to New York in 1962 to establish connections and soon began working with Ellen Stewart at La MaMa. Ann and the children followed in 1963. Because several family members could act, sing, dance, write, direct or provide music, the Harrises became unusually versatile participants in the downtown theater scene. They were nicknamed “the Lunts of Off-Off-Broadway,” a reference to the prominent theatrical couple Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Family members appeared in productions by Lanford Wilson, Paul Foster, Tom Eyen and other experimental playwrights, while the El Dorado Players presented original and adapted musicals in La MaMa’s Young Playwrights Series. Individual members also achieved professional credits beyond the family’s collective projects. Walter Michael Harris appeared in Hair and worked as a musician and composer. George Harris Jr. performed in The Great White Hope and later appeared in Superman. Ann Harris acted in The Honeymoon Killers, and Eloise Harris appeared in Invitation to a Beheading. Mary Lucile Harris appeared in The Muppets Take Manhattan. These activities coexisted with continuing work in small theater companies, including La MaMa, Theater for the Lost Continent and Theater for the New City. The family’s most influential figure was George E. Harris III, who adopted the name Hibiscus. After moving to San Francisco in 1967, he joined the counterculture, lived in a commune and founded the Cockettes and later the Angels of Light. The latter troupe developed an extravagant, communal style combining music, costumes, queer performance and ritualized theatricality. Hibiscus returned to New York in 1972 and formed a New York Angels of Light company, recruiting members of his family and collaborating with Angel Jack Coe. The group performed in New York, toured Europe and received attention at the Festival Mondial du Théâtre in Nancy, France. After the Angels of Light disbanded in the late 1970s, the family regrouped for the Off-Broadway revue Sky High. Hibiscus subsequently formed the rock-oriented act Hibiscus and the Screaming Violets with siblings while writing, producing and starring in Tinsel Town Tirade. His death from AIDS-related complications on May 6, 1982, ended a central chapter of the family’s artistic history but strengthened his lasting reputation in experimental theater, queer performance and gay liberation culture. The Harris sisters continued performing as a harmony trio and cabaret act. They also created Coat Check Inc., an event-services business that employed actors and entertainers on flexible schedules and served upscale events, including the Metropolitan Costume Ball and Victoria’s Secret. In the late 1980s, they recorded The Harris Sisters Sing Richard Adler with Broadway composer Richard Adler. Later projects included Hibiscus, a musical about their brother, and Cheek to Cheek, a backstage musical co-written, produced and performed by the sisters at La MaMa. The family’s memoir literature includes Caravan to Oz and Flower Power Man, which document their artistic activities, personal relationships and role in New York’s experimental performance history.
History
George Edgerly Harris Jr. and Ann Marie McCanless formed the family’s theatrical foundation after marrying in 1948 and settling in Bronxville, New York. Their first six children were born there, and the family moved to Clearwater, Florida, in 1958, where two younger daughters were born. George and Ann became involved with the Francis Wilson Playhouse around 1959–1960, and their children joined its Junior Workshop. In 1961, Ann and George Harris III transformed the family garage into a performance space and founded the El Dorado Players. The company staged small musicals and adaptations, including Bluebeard, The Sheep and the Cheapskate, Cleopatra, the Nile Queen and Camelot. It also produced The Unsinkable Titanic, a locally successful amateur film directed by George III. The family’s growing confidence led them to pursue professional opportunities in New York. George Harris Jr. arrived in New York in 1962 and connected with Ellen Stewart, the founder of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. By the following year, Ann and the children had joined him. The family became active in the emerging Off-Off-Broadway network, working at La MaMa, Caffe Cino and Judson Poets Theater. Their versatility made them valuable to experimental producers: family members acted, wrote, directed, sang, danced and composed music. George III later re-established the El Dorado Players at La MaMa through Stewart’s Young Playwrights Series, presenting new family-created musicals including MacBee and There Is Method In Their Madness. During the mid-to-late 1960s, individual Harrises gained professional credits in both downtown and mainstream theater. George III appeared in A Funny Walk Home and The Porcelain Year. George Jr. performed in Gorilla Queen and The Great White Hope. Walter Harris appeared in Hair, contributed music to productions and worked with playwrights including Tom Eyen and Robert Patrick. Eloise appeared in Invitation to a Beheading. Ann later appeared in The Honeymoon Killers, while George Jr. took a film role in Superman and Mary Lucile appeared in The Muppets Take Manhattan. The family nevertheless remained closely tied to experimental companies such as La MaMa, Theater for the Lost Continent and Theater for the New City. George Harris III became the family’s most visible countercultural and queer-performance figure. In 1967 he moved toward San Francisco’s alternative arts community, adopted the name Hibiscus and founded the Cockettes and Angels of Light. After returning to New York in 1972, he formed a New York Angels of Light troupe with Angel Jack Coe and involved members of his family. The group developed a flamboyant, collaborative performance style and toured Europe twice. It appeared at the Festival Mondial du Théâtre in Nancy, France, where it received international attention. The Angels of Light dissolved in the late 1970s. The family then regrouped for Sky High, an Off-Broadway revue. In 1980 Hibiscus formed Hibiscus and the Screaming Violets with siblings and simultaneously created Tinsel Town Tirade, a musical featuring Holly Woodlawn. He died on May 6, 1982, from AIDS-related complications. His work is remembered as influential in experimental theater, queer performance and the cultural history of gay liberation. The Harris sisters subsequently developed their own performance and business activities. They performed as The Harris Sisters and Trouble, later as the Harris Sisters harmony trio, and appeared in downtown clubs and on television. They established Coat Check Inc., an event-services company that supplied coat-check and hospitality staff to major events while accommodating the schedules of working performers. They also recorded with Richard Adler, created the musical Hibiscus in 1992 and premiered Cheek to Cheek at La MaMa in 1993. The family’s documented legacy continued through memoirs and biographical publications. Caravan to Oz, published in 2014, presents a family account of its artistic and personal history. Flower Power Man focuses on Hibiscus and his role in the Cockettes, Angels of Light and wider countercultural performance movements.
- 2014
Caravan to Oz published
[1]The family released a memoir documenting its creative and personal history.
- 1982
Death of Hibiscus
[1]Hibiscus died on May 6 from complications of AIDS.
- 1980
Hibiscus forms the Screaming Violets
[1]Hibiscus formed Hibiscus and the Screaming Violets with siblings while developing Tinsel Town Tirade.
- 1972
Angels of Light expands in New York
[1]Hibiscus returned to New York, formed a new Angels of Light company with Angel Jack Coe and brought family members into its performances.
- 1967
George Harris III adopts the name Hibiscus
[1]After moving to San Francisco, George Harris III entered the countercultural performance world, adopted the name Hibiscus and founded the Cockettes and Angels of Light.
- 1963
The family joins the Off-Off-Broadway community
[1]Ann and the children relocated to New York and began receiving work through La MaMa, Caffe Cino and Judson Poets Theater.
- 1962
George Harris Jr. establishes New York connections
[1]George Harris Jr. moved to New York and began working with La MaMa, helping prepare the family’s move into the Off-Off-Broadway scene.
- 1961
El Dorado Players founded
[1]Ann Harris and George Harris III created the El Dorado Players in the family garage, beginning the family’s organized theatrical work.
- 1958
The family relocates to Clearwater
[1]The Harrises moved from Bronxville, New York, to Clearwater, Florida, where their two youngest children were born.
- 1948
George and Ann Harris marry
[1]George Edgerly Harris Jr. and Ann Marie McCanless married on June 21, establishing the family whose later artistic work became known as the Harris entertainment family.
Products and positioning
A family-centered, multidisciplinary entertainment identity rooted in experimental theater, queer performance, downtown New York culture and flexible collaboration across stage, music, film and event services.
theater company · 1961
The El Dorado Players
Founded in Clearwater in 1961 by Ann Harris and George Harris III, the El Dorado Players was a family-centered acting company. Its repertoire included original short musicals, literary and theatrical adaptations, and the homemade film The Unsinkable Titanic. The group was later revived at La MaMa in New York through a young playwrights program.
experimental theater and performance troupe · 1967
Angels of Light
Founded and led by Hibiscus, Angels of Light combined theatrical spectacle, music, communal performance and queer countercultural expression. The San Francisco and later New York versions involved a broad artistic community, including members of the Harris family, and toured Europe during the 1970s.
rock and performance group · 1980
Hibiscus and the Screaming Violets
This glitter-rock performance act was formed by Hibiscus with his sisters and brother Fred around 1980. It extended the family’s theatrical approach into music and downtown club performance.
vocal group and cabaret act
The Harris Sisters
The Harris sisters performed first as The Harris Sisters and Trouble and later as a harmony trio. Their work included New York club appearances, cabaret, television performances, benefit events and a recording made with composer Richard Adler.
event services · 1980
Coat Check Inc.
Created by the Harris sisters in the 1980s, Coat Check Inc. supplied coat-check and hospitality personnel for high-end events. Its flexible staffing model was designed around the irregular schedules of actors, musicians and other entertainers.
memoir · 2014
Caravan to Oz
Caravan to Oz is a family memoir covering the Harrises’ personal life, theatrical development and participation in experimental performance communities. It includes contributions and visual material from people associated with the family.
biography and memoir
Flower Power Man
Flower Power Man documents the life and artistic legacy of Hibiscus, including his work with the Cockettes and Angels of Light and his place in countercultural and queer performance history.
Marketing campaigns
- 1980Sky High revue
United States
Following the dissolution of the Angels of Light, the family regrouped for Sky High, an Off-Broadway revue.
Outcome. The production represented a return to collective family performance in New York.
- 1970Angels of Light European tours
Europe
Angels of Light toured Europe twice with support from Dutch theater producer Ritsaert ten Cate and appeared at the Festival Mondial du Théâtre in Nancy, France.
Outcome. The tours increased the troupe’s international visibility and generated generally favorable European press coverage.
- 1967Hibiscus and the counterculture
United States
Hibiscus participated in the October 21, 1967, anti-war march on the Pentagon before moving into San Francisco’s experimental performance community. His presence became associated with the visual and theatrical culture of the period.
Outcome. The episode contributed to Hibiscus’s public identity as a countercultural performance artist.
Brand decisions
1972
Hibiscus re-forms Angels of Light in New YorkStrategyBackground
After establishing the troupe in San Francisco, Hibiscus returned to New York with his partner and collaborator Angel Jack Coe.
Action taken
He recruited family members and developed a New York Angels of Light company.
Aftermath
The troupe performed in New York and Europe and became a recognized part of experimental and queer theater history.
1963
The family relocates to New YorkStrategyBackground
George Harris Jr. had begun building relationships with La MaMa and other downtown theater producers.
Action taken
Ann Harris and the children moved to New York to seek professional theater work.
Aftermath
The family became a recurring presence in the Off-Off-Broadway community.
1961
The family creates its own theater companyStrategyBackground
After gaining experience at the Francis Wilson Playhouse, the Harrises sought a more direct way to create and present work.
Action taken
Ann Harris and George Harris III converted the family garage into a theater and founded the El Dorado Players.
Aftermath
The local success of the Players encouraged the family to pursue professional careers in New York.
Sources1 sources
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