Brit crosses pond for Dallas’ vibrant art scene

By Shari Goldstein Stern

From Shakespeare to film to TV, Alan Brent has done it all during his 40-year acting career. Brent relocated from York, U.K. to East Dallas in 2004 after hearing from colleagues in his British acting community about their wealth of experience with Dallas’ performing arts.

“There are so many brilliant opportunities for actors in Dallas and the surrounding areas,” Brent said. “Massively diverse and with enormous reputations.” 

The actor added, “Funimation in Grapevine for voice-over work, many excellent live theatres, and of course, the film scene is burgeoning with productions of so many genres.” 

Early in his studies, thanks to his Scottish ancestry and an intense series of auditions, he was offered a spot in the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (RSAAMD). “The Academy is the most respected drama school in Scotland. Many successful actors are Academy alumni.” Brent graduated from the Academy with a BA in Performing Arts, and then he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.

One of the actor’s earliest experiences in Dallas was as the headliner, the King at Medieval Times Dinner and Joust (MT), a throne he held for almost five years. “Medieval Times is a terrific show that has been running for more than 25 years throughout the country. The Dallas Castle is seen as the Flagship,” he said.

“Working at MT was like being back at the Royal Shakespeare Company with the authenticity of the period. I love horses as well, so the privilege of being able to ride the beautiful Andalusion [Spanish] stallions was a terrific bonus,” his Highness added. “The staff genuinely enjoys the work and are grateful for the experience. Let’s face it. You don’t have a sold-out show nearly every time if you don’t give people more than they expect.” The King bellowed, “When they changed the show to have a Queen as the principal character, the Kings were ‘killed off,’ ‘Game of Thrones’ style,” he quipped.

Of the dozens of dialects spoken in the United Kingdom, this character actor has performed many of them. He shared an anecdote: Some of his family was in the audience at one of his performances. “My Auntie said, ‘I didn’t see you. Where were you sitting?’ I laughed and answered in the Scottish accent, ‘Did ye no see me working my arse off in front of ye?’” He added, “The shock on their faces was what has kept me happy all the way through this 40-year career.” 

Brent values the anonymity he enjoys by becoming enveloped in the characters he plays. “I can still walk around the superstore without being hassled for autographs and selfies,” he quipped.

“On the other hand, after a particularly tough role playing the hangman John Laws in ‘The Execution of Gary Glitter,’ a 2009 BBC Mockumentary TV-Film, I got wary looks from passersby. One of them shouted, ‘He hanged Gary Glitter.’” Brent wasn’t sure whether to say “Thank you” or make another choice remark. 

Brent has a wealth of experience onstage as well as film. “I portrayed some of the best leading roles and worked on every play Shakespeare wrote,” the actor said. “The director of ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ took me aside after my performance in the show and said, ‘Alan, that was a wonderful performance. However, I credit your ability to paraphrase the Bard. In the future, do bear in mind that his words have been around for three hundred years so give them the credit for old age and say them as written.’”

In the mid-80s, Brent earned the Evening Standard Award, London’s equivalent to the Tony Awards, for best actor for his role in the musical, “Blood Brothers,” which became one of the longest-running shows in London’s West End history. Other actors filling his role of “Narrator” over the years have included such talents as Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi.

Brent may have seen more of Texas than have many native Texans. He has completed several films shot in Texas. He said, “Mineola in East Texas was especially welcoming with ‘In Search of the Haunting,’ the story of Shirley Jackson who wrote the iconic story that has been told many times as ‘The Haunting of Hill House.’ I played her adulterous, abusive husband, Richard.”

Others of Brent’s films that were shot locally are “Hurricane Bianca” with his fellow Royal Scottish Academy alum Alan Cumming, and “It is a Tale” with Greg Mansur directing at Texas Christian University (TCU). 

In 2018, the film, “Never Alone” premiered at the Utah Film Festival and Awards with Brent as the lead character, a lonely, widowed, and reclusive old man who realized he was alone in his life. The film was shot in Leander near Austin. Another of his films, “Gypsy Moon” was filmed in Jefferson, and “Alternative Education” was shot in Balch Springs. 

In 2014-2016 he appeared in two episodes of the TV series, “Bail Out,” which were shot at locations in Ft. Worth and White Settlement. The series featured a who’s who of American stars, including Dallas’ beloved Burton Gilliam. Brent’s films, “Tied in Blood,” “Last Days of August” and “Cinema Zone” were filmed in Dallas.

In April, Brent (pictured above) will begin shooting for “Conspiracy Child,” a feature film with a $95 million-dollar budget. In the film, Brent plays a “Fallen Angel” named Forcan, the teacher of philosophy and logic.