Entrances And Exists

In his excellent book 'Kids Show Ventriloquism' Mark Wade discusses the 'Dead Time' aspect to crossing the stage and putting on a puppet. He further suggests different ways to cover this, the most important of all being applause. He's right. This time needs to be covered but I will also elaborate upon it here.

The entrance of a puppet character is just as important as the entrance of ANY character to teh stege. When I was at Drama School one of the first things we were taught was how to enter the stage as if you have just COME from somewhere else. At it's core this illustrates ' physical motivation' If the puppet is going to spend 5 or 10 minutes in the comapny of the audience in his or her guise as a living creature then he or she needs to be alive form the very first second.

The American ventriloquist Jeff Dunham is a master of this particular technique. Don't get me wrong I am not saying that puppets need to be 'talking' or 'shouting' at you straight away. As with real live actors (more so in some cases) there is a great deal of comedy to be had of a silent entrance as long as it is motivated and above all animated. Edgar Bergan would move Charlie McCarthy's head so much, this way and that and have him looking around all over the theatre before he reached centre stage. The character needs to be alive form the start.

I watched a video clip of a ventriloquist's first 'adult' gig.

Now, For a vent who is moving form kids parties and giving it a pop in this area is a very nerve racking thing. Trust me I have already done it and continue to practice it weekend in and out. My admiration goes out to anyone who is giving vent a whirl before grown ups. Having said that what really let this guy down at the end of the day was that he either A) did not have a script for the first 1o seconds of his act or B) He forgot it. Ergo the entrance of the puppet was reduced to a fumbling mumbling improvisation which got alot of strange looks and one or two deadly 'smirks' form the audience.

The puppet needs to make a real spalsh!!!! Trust me. learn the lines, it's very important to have a script. Learn the lines and make that puppet turn waves as soon as he is seen coming out of the case.

The exits need to be equally orchestreted. just do what I said a second ago but in reverse.

The puppet should leave the stage to applause. Treat him like a spectator or even better a special guest. Something like this " Give it up for fetch The Dog!!!!" As they give it up put him away. Don't wait for the applause to die down and then put him away. Unless you make him say "Now take your hand out of my ass puppet boy" as he goes into the case.

Why You Shouldn't Drink Alcohol In A Public Park

Even at a BBQ I say don't do it. I say have your BBQ party in the yard, if you want to drink grog. But this post is not really about the issue of drinking during organized park events, or even about winos who have no choice. It's about Dads right? Just regular Dads like me who find themselves in the park between about 9 and 10am on a Sunday morning. No need to go down there with a stubbie. No need at all, and yet I still see it weekend in and weekend out. That, Dad in his tracksuit with a stubbie in one hand and half a smoke in the other, image is becoming an all to familiar sight for the girls and me on a Sunday morning.

You don't have to drink a stubbie in the park on a Sunday morning whilst taking your kids out for a play. You bloody play with them, have a good time and then go home and kick back with a stubbie in your yard................please. To be honest I wouldn't even do that as I think it's the wrong message for your own kids. I just don't want my kids to have to see it. I don't want them to have to feel it's normal.

Why You Shouldn't Eat Takeaway For Breakfast

So I saw a guy eating out of a takeaway bag at about 9.15 this morning. He was a big guy, a fat guy right. At first I gave him the benefit of the doubt in the consideration that it MAY have been a bag of breakfast related products so I had a good look. No. It was a hamburger and god knows what else. A hamburger (and God knows what else) is NOT what one should eat at breakfast. So I figure the fact that this guy was big was less than a coincidence. A big (and young at that) guy eating takaway for breakfast, is fat (I'm sorry) for a reason. That reason should also go without saying. A large person eating takaway for breakfast is probably not doing this for a treat, or as a one off. A larger person eating takaway for breakfast on a normal Friday morning, sitting at the railway station does so (I believe) with some regularity.

OK, sure most of us love food right? I do. At the same time I'm sure that I probably eat to much of it sometimes. I would to love eat hot chips for breakfast, or at anytime of day for that matter? but I don't. You know why? I have control. Not much of it , but enough to abstain from that. I have a certain amount of self respect and enough passion for wanting to enjoy a nice meal in the evening without thinking "oh maybe I should have eased up on that fried horse and large fries for I ate breakfast"

Having said all of that everyone has a rock and roll weekend every now and then where they just eat all the hamburgers and cocaine in sight at different and unusual times of the day but with that exception it's in bad form.

Takaway is not a breakfast food. It's ridiculous!

Doms

Did I mention that I bought the Domino set along with KerPlunk the other day? Well I'm telling you now.

Funny thing is that that domino set has quickly become the most requested pastime in the household.

About 3 months ago, on a visit to Canberra, Maddie and Violet found a set of old domino cards in the games room of the house we were staying in. They quickly got the gist of it and I had been meaning to buy them a set of their own for ages. So when My Nanna May and Grandad Stan over in the UK called to say that I should spend a few of their dollars (pounds) on the girls I thought it a good opportunity.

So it's dominos morning, noon and night at our place right now. I play the version of the game as I know it. The only way I have ever played it. The game the grown - ups (and I) used to always play when I was tiny with the exception that we now have to LOOK at each others doms to try and outsmart each other....well The girls do...OK I do too.

Doms are great! It's a very skillfull game of wits. It is also very nostalgic for me as the game itself forms one of my earliest childhood memories. That of sitting around the big round, white table in the kitchen of My other grandparent's (Babs and Jock) house in Selwood Close Thornaby.

The sound of the doms rattling as they are mixed sounds just the same as it did back then.

I'm Just Glad That KerPlunk Is Not Magic Trick

My God This game is a bitch to re- set! Having said that my girls find it especially easy.... I on the other hand get very frustrated and throw things.

I bought them dominoes at the same time. Now there's a game that is easy to re-set. There is no re- set. it's the un-gaffed coins across of games. KerPlunk is the bloody Girl to Tiger of games...even though it resembles a sword cabinet. Except it's clear. Now that would be a good trick!

BTW I am sorry for the lack of posts I have been busy...playing KerPlunk. making a living too, which to be honest is just as enjoyable as playing KerPlunk anyway.

Put This Date In Your Diary

I know it seems like a long way off but please pencil this into your diaries.

Magic Monday's 6th of November Show At Dante's Cnr of Gertrude and Napier Streets in Fitzroy.

Magic Monday's alwasy rocks and it is alwasy packed out so make your plans early. Novemebr is a special Melbourne Cup show where the best Bonnet or Bowler will win a great prize.

Join myself
Chuck Fayne
Michael Boyd and Cathy Costello
Glenn Hamilton
Fetch The Dog
Cuddles The Clown
Carlos The Cat (can't believe I gave the cat a name that started with the word C..Ouch
and Fingers the Hand............for Magic Monday Mayhem.

Showtime

I'm off to Magic Monday's tonight. For those who don't know this is a monthly magic event that I help to organise with three of my magic buddies. Mark and Sandra Mayer and Glenn Hamilton. The show is held on the first Monday of every month and Dante's Theatre, eatery and bar, in the heart of bustling Fitzroy. The show will also be going into it's third fantastic year soon and is still the only 'regular' monthly magic event in the country

Tonight's show has Chris Morant and David Jones including myself and Glenn Hamilton on the bill. I am really looking forward to seeing David as he is one of my favourite magicians and it is very difficult to get him to do any stand up at all. He will no doubt be as solid as a rock as he was the last time I saw him do stand up when we worked together on the "It's Magic" show at the Carlton Court House. I am also working a close up gig with David next week for Baron Insulation as I did last year.

Please come and join us at Dante's on gertrude Street, Fitzroy for a cracking show tonight.

D