Groveland Twp.- It’s a warm Sunday in early August, but Truly Ample, a.k.a. Debra Jackson-Dechert, isn’t hot, although she is dressed in attire to mimic the 16th century.
Dechert sits on a bench underneath a tent wearing a long green dress embroidered with thistles, a white peasant blouse, green and white striped knee-high socks and moccasins. A red plaid beret sits atop her red hair and her jewelry includes thistle earrings and a thistle necklace.
She scans the crowd at the Renaissance Festival for her comedic partner.
‘Prudence!? she bellows in a Scottish accent. ‘Prudence!?
Dechert finally sees Prudence B. Trite, a.k.a. LisaMarie Gabriele, and waves her over. Gabriele approaches the bench where Dechert sits.
‘How can you miss a girl my size?? Dechert asks and then comments to a visitor? ‘We are the only duo with themed underpants.?
She turns to Gabriele and instructs her to prove this to be true.
‘I don’t show my undergarments,? says Gabriele primly.
‘Oh, bloody hell, you do too,? says Dechert, who has several accessories hanging from her waist, including a dirk (an eating knife), a plaid tartan with pins, and a timepiece so she is not late for the stage shows she and Gabriele put on as Ample and Trite.
The comedic team has performed at the Renaissance Festival for several years. This year, they will perform twice a day with three shows, including ‘A Pirate’s Tail,? a love story with pirates, peepers, pokers and puking; ‘The Tall Tale of Nickodimo and Polyolyomo,? about young lovers separated by an asparagus patch; and ‘The Thief in the Wood,? in which a widower with a young daughter meets and courts a new lady who is jealous of the daughter, and has her kidnapped.
Dechert, a 51-year-old Ortonville resident, has been performing at the Renaissance Festival for the past 13 years. She and Gabriele were working as supervisors at the Palace of Auburn Hills box office when Gabriele, who was already involved in the festival, made Dechert audition.
When she first began at the festival that attracts more than 220,000 visitors during its seven-weekend run, celebrating England during the Renaissance and reign of Queen Elizabeth, Dechert was a toilet troll, entertaining lines for the privy, she says. She also played the mayor’s wife for three years at the festival before becoming Ample.
‘Everyone who comes to the fair comes to escape,? she notes. ‘We provide that. It’s a different place than the work-a-day world. We provide fantasy.?
Dechert is also the dialect and speech coach for the cast, teaching 14 different dialects from languages including English, Dutch, Danish and Spanish. She also designs and creates props and costumes, including that of her daughter, Emily, who plays a peasant dancer.
Dechert says it is not difficult to stay in character or keep up the dialect.
‘We have a saying when we go to the pub at 7,? she says. ‘We say, ‘The beer is in the rear of the pick-up truck.? That signals that we’re out of character.?
Dechert has no plans to quit anytime soon, saying, ‘I plan to continue as long as my wee legs will let me.?