Asha Banks

Asha Alice Banks (born 26 November 2003) is an English actress and singer. She began her career as a child actress on the West End. She made her feature film debut in The Magic Flute (2022).[1]

Asha Banks
Born
Asha Alice Banks

(2003-11-26) 26 November 2003
St Albans, England
Years active2011–present

Early life

Banks was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire to parents Sophie and Duncan.[2] She has an older brother. Banks attended Parmiter's School in Garston.[3] She took Saturday drama classes at Top Hat Stage School[4] and participated in Michael Xavier's MX Masterclass on Sundays,[5] of which she is now a patron.[6]

Career

Banks made her television debut in 2011 with minor roles in EastEnders and Call the Midwife, both on BBC One.[7] Banks was seven or eight when she was cast as young Éponine in the long-running musical Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre in 2012, marking Banks' West End debut.[8][9] She appeared in the 2014 Almeida and Playhouse Theatre runs of the play 1984.

Banks went on the 2015 UK tour of Annie, playing the eldest orphan Duffy. She joined the West End production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane as Violet Beauregarde before its closure in 2017. She alternated the roles Pandora Braithwaite in the 2017 off-West End production of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ at the Menier Chocolate Factory[10] and Lisa James in The Boy in the Dress at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2019.[11]

In 2021, Banks played Thea in the London revival of Spring Awakening at the Almeida Theatre. She was also the understudy for Amara Okereke's Wendla.[12] Banks was cast in as Princess Pamina in the German musical film The Magic Flute, marking Banks' feature film debut.[13] The film premiered at the 2022 Zurich Film Festival and had a wide release in 2023. Banks also returned to television in 2022 with a recurring role as Brooke in the BBC iPlayer teen drama Rebel Cheer Squad, a Get Even spinoff. She has an upcoming role in the BBC Three adaptation of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2011 EastEnders Various 4 episodes
Call the Midwife Spanish Girl 1 episode
2012 Confus[(ion) (ed)] Sister Short film
2014 Blue Jessica Short film
2022 Rebel Cheer Squad Brooke 5 episodes
2022 The Magic Flute Princess Pamina
TBA A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Cara Ward TV show

Stage
Year Title Role Notes
2012 Les Misérables Young Eponine Queen's Theatre, London
2014 1984 Parsons Child Almeida Theatre / Playhouse Theatre, London
2015 Annie Duffy UK tour
2016–2017 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Violet Beauregarde Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
2017 The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ Pandora Braithwaite Menier Chocolate Factory, London
2019 The Boy in the Dress Lisa James Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
2021 Spring Awakening Thea / understudy Wendla Almeida Theatre, London

References
  1. Barrow, Georgia (7 October 2022). "A magic time: Asha Banks, star of The Magic Flute". Great British Life. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  2. "Actress Asha Banks On St Albans, The Magic Flute And Glastonbury". Absolutely Hertfordshire. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  3. Davies, Alan (29 November 2019). "St Albans teenager shares stage with Robbie Williams and David Walliams at musical's opening night". The Herts Advertiser. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  4. Perring, Rebecca (25 February 2014). "St Albans girl, Asha Banks, performs in play 1984 at Almeida Theatre in London". St Albans & Harpenden Review. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  5. "Robert J. Sherman to Take Part in Special Masterclass with Michael Xavier". BroadwayWorld. 28 September 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  6. "Asha Banks (2019)". TresA Magazine. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  7. "Asha Banks, Actor, St Albans". Mandy. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  8. "Asha Banks (2023)". TresA Magazine. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  9. Burton, Madeleine (20 January 2012). "St Albans girl wins place in Les Miserables in the West End". The Herts Advertiser. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  10. Swain, Marianka (27 July 2017). "BWW Review: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ - The Musical". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  11. "Cast and Creatives - The Boy in the Dress". Royal Shakespeare Company. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  12. Lewis, Katy (18 January 2022). "Covid-19: The theatre understudies stepping up to save the show". BBC News. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  13. Meza, Ed (3 February 2021). "Iwan Rheon, Jack Wolfe, Asha Banks Join Roland Emmerich's The Magic Flute (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
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