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First they acted like a couple. Then they became one.

It was love at first act for Mary Ann Jung and Tom Plott of Arnold, who met onstage at the Maryland Renaissance Festival more than 20 years ago and have been together ever since.

Plott was playing Robert Dudley, a favorite friend of Queen Elizabeth's, and Jung portrayed his love, Lettice Knollys.

"I didn't want to be at rehearsal," Jung said, smiling at Plott as she reminisced. "Then I walked up and (saw Tom) and said, 'Oh, I'm in love!' "

She was being a bit sarcastic initially, but the two did soon start dating. They eventually married in 1996 and all the while kept working at the Renaissance festival. This is actually Jung's 30th year there. Plott has "only" put in 22 - the year he met Jung was his first appearance at the Crownsville event. He came there from the Georgia Renaissance Festival.

"It's been a lot of years and they've done a lot of things," said Carolyn Spedden, artistic director of the Maryland festival. "They both have been some of the strongest performers we've had."

Over the years, Jung estimates the couple has taken on about 20 different roles between them.

This season, Jung is Capt. Jean the Pirate Queen in her "Pee Wee Pirate Show" and also serves as director of The Royal Court's group of actors with a story line set in 1543. Plott, meanwhile, switches between two very distinct roles: a rather unkempt hermit and a Scottish nobleman. He's also performance director at the festival.

"When you go home at the end of the day with a man who has a turtle shell on his head (Plott's hermit's take on a hat), you have to be patient," Spedden joked. "I think they complement each other well. They've always been a couple that's just gotten along."

Spedden said Plott tends to have a lot of ideas, and Jung is the one who puts those ideas into action. She said Plott has a "Southern, laid-back charm" (he's originally from Georgia) and Jung is "very efficient" and a "go-getter." She was raised in Landover.

When they're done with the festival, which is open on weekends, they often go out to dinner and then head home. At 45 and 49, Plott and Jung are tired by the time Revel Grove shuts down, but that doesn't mean they stop acting.

During the week, Jung transforms herself into everyone from Amelia Earhart and Clara Barton to Queen Elizabeth and Julia Child in her History Alive! shows. Plott, meanwhile, portrays several characters at Mount Vernon.

"I look forward to another good 20 to 25 years with them evolving into various characters," said Jules Smith, general manager of the Maryland Renaissance Festival.
Role models

Jung had two children onstage with her during her pirate act last weekend. She asked them to blow hard on a sheet so the "sail" would move. "Well, it's not moving, but you're making great faces," she told them. "Alas and alack."

The skit was meant as both a lesson on the necessity of wind in sailing and a clever way to get the audience involved. Jung then had everyone play a game of The Pirate Says, which bore a striking resemblance to Simon Says.

"Pirate says to swab the decks. Now, you must show off your pecs!" she told the crowd. Many fell for her ruse, flexing their arms without hearing "pirate says" first.

After the game ended, Jung had all the children back onstage to take a "pirate pledge" about good behavior before dismissing them for the day. It was hard to tell who was having more fun during the show - Jung, the children, or their parents and relatives.

"Oh, I have a ball," Jung said as she stepped off the stage. "It's barely controlled chaos, which is what I like. The hermit should be joining us later."

Sure enough, after a couple minutes Plott showed up, walking slightly off-kilter and with his mouth scrunched up at one end to reveal severely rotten teeth (he paints them black). "Ladies love the hermit," he said, "because he doesn't live with his parents anymore."

"You can see why I'm so proud," quipped Jung.

As the couple sat down and shared a kiss, they got quite a few stares. After all, a grungy hermit and a dashing piratess getting friendly makes for quite a sight. The kiss itself was a bit of a challenge, too, given Capt. Jean's rather large red hat.

"I love her more than the first day I saw her," Plott said.

Jung said many of the patrons know both of them well but don't realize they're a couple. They aren't the only husband and wife who work at the festival, either. There are quite a few couples, although Jung and Plott may have the most seniority.

Plott said one of the keys to their marriage is that they're both in the same business.

"We totally relate, totally understand each other," he explained. "We understand the (acting) business. We understand the frustrations."

Both also said they keep coming to the festival because they continue to enjoy everything about it - the history, the visitors, the performances and the camaraderie among the cast.

"This is one of the few places that as a performer you're constantly having a good time," Plott said. "It really does have a community feel to it."

The other performers admire them greatly.

"They're the quintessential Renaissance couple - good at so many things," said Randy Dalmas of Baltimore, who plays the mayor of Revel Grove and also met his wife at the festival. "They're great role models."

For more information on the Maryland Renaissance Festival, visit the Web site at www.rennfest.com.

pulled from: http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/lif/2009/10/11-34/Renaissance-romance-Couple-truly-married-to-their-work.html