PHOTO BY GL ENN TRI EST
Ye Ole
Goode
Tyme
B
JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR
STAFF WRITER
onnie Wolfe is paid
nothing, works every
weekend in a hot cos-
tume made from tacky
old curtains and spends
her Saturday nights sleeping on
a lumpy piece of earth in a place
called Yogi Bear Campgrounds.
And she is having the time of
her life.
Wolfe, along with 300 other ac-
tors and actresses, is a part of the
Michigan Renaissance Festival
in Holly, a 17-year-old event
that's now running weekends
through Sept. 29.
Featuring full-contact, ar-
mored jousting and unique con-
cessions including Dragon's
Breath Ale and roasted turkey
drumsticks, the festival boasts
continuous entertainment on 12
themed stages as well as street
performers in 16th century peri-
od dress. Set on 15 wooded acres
about an hour north of Detroit,
it is annually staffed by local vol-
unteers and members of a na-
tional touring troupe who
entertain at five other such fes-
tivals.
More than 200 local enter-
tainers auditioned in May to be
street performers, with half be-
ing selected for the roles. Some
First-time thespians at the Michigan
Renaissance Festival: Bonnie Wolfe (in
red and gold) plays Francesca Maria and
Sarah Bricker (in burgundy) plays
Calliope Caleidoscope Wee Tree Faery.
of the lesser-experienced actors,
as well as those wanting to hone
their craft, attended workshops
called Academy. The other sea-
soned thespians, like Sarah
Bricker of West Bloomfield who's
making her festival debut this
year, are considered apprentices
or journeymen, a skill that earns
them each $10 a day.
"I am not doing it for the mon-
ey," said Bricker, a veteran of the
Farmington High School stage.
Instead, she is paid in the ex-
perience of being a part of the fes-
tival. From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
every Saturday and Sunday,
Bricker plays the part of Calliope
Caleidoscope Wee Tree Faery,
speaking in different dialects to
festival-goers from her perch
which is in the shade of a tree.
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At night, she stakes out a place
in the Yogi Bear park and sings
around a campfire with the oth-
er entertainers, many of whom
remain in character.
"Once the costume comes off,
I can't get rid of the accent,"
Bricker said. "It took me until
Wednesday to lose the accent.
My parents almost killed me."
Wolfe, a 22-year-old Michigan
Technological University student
majoring in material science en-
gineering, is Francesca Maria,
the daughter of a wealthy lawyer
from Florence. For her role, she
had to learn an Italian accent as
well as make her costume, a
high-waisted gown made of red
and gold brocade drapes she
found on a hunting expedition in
a Salvation Army store.
"I have been going to the fes-
tival since high school and I
thought it would be a lot of fun
to be there," Wolfe said. "I really
am having such a wonderful time
out there."
Despite the meager or non-ex-
istent pay, the less-than-ideal
working conditions and the
"earthy" accommodations, both
actresses plan to return to the
Michigan Renaissance Festival
stage.
"Next year, I am definitely go-
ing to do it again," Bricker said.
"It is the best experience I have
ever had." ā
Et The Michigan Renaissance
Festival runs from 10 a.m. to
7 p.m. Saturdays and Sun-
days through Sept. 29. Daily
jousting is at 12:45, 3:30 and
5:45 p.m. on the fields of Up-
son Downs. Tickets are $12.95
for adults, $5.95 for children
5-12 and free for children un
der 5. Food booths and a pub
are available; parking is free.
In Holly, located off I-75, Exit
106, on Dixie Highway be-
tween Pontiac and Flint. For
more information, call (800)
601-4848.
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