The Work

For the past three nights I have watched Jeff Dunham's DVD 'Arguing With Myself' twice through each night. Once as per normal and then once with commentary. Sitting and watching ventriloquism DVD's (and I have plenty of them) over and over again Is not unusual for me. For me, research has always been part of the work and watching movies has alwasy been the most enjoyable research. It's also the easiest. As an actor, magician OR ventriloquist I have always found that watching other practitioners of the artform is the most beneficial of all research. More than reading a 'how to' book on comedy, for example, one would be better served watching as much comedy as possible, not out of any interest in stealing material but rather to see how it's done. To learn how timing works etc.

In watching GOOD practitioners over and over one becomes a better performer oneself. I don't exactly know why this happens, all I know is that the improvement happens gradually and through a subliminal process. In any case I have found it a very enjoyable and useful form of pratice that is at least a break from sticking on a puppet and going over your lines at full energy.

This brings me to my next point. How does one practice ventriloquism?

Well, firstly the practice is forever ongoing, at least the rehearsal of new characters and dialogue is. It's like sleight of hand in that sense. You canalways be better. Even if you focus on the same 15 minutes for five years as I am trying to do.

For me about 2 hours of each day is spent doing the very sort of prctice I mentioned at the end of the second paragraph. I spend 2 hours a day with a puppet stuck on my hand going over and over the dialogue at speed. I also tape these sessions on a little recorder and listen to them back before I start again. This is an old trick I use to employ when I was doing a lot of theatre acting. It helps you to remember your lines that's all. After I have gone through the final run of the night. I leave the last recording on the recorder and listen to it several times the next day while I am going about the more mundane business of normal life. I also run the lines when I am walking to the shops, to and from the train station, with the dog or on the way to gigs etc.

For me the main practice sessions come when I am actually in front of real people. I dont wait to get booked for a vent gig either. Ido lot's of walk around and always MAKE myself doa short tenminutes at the top of these booking with vent. It doesn't alwasy work out because of the structureof the nightbut at most private functions it's fine.The mainplace topractive iskids shows. Most people spend a year in their bedroom developing an illusion show and then expect it to work it first time out. Many begginers with a performance goal have no idea that most of their practice SHOULD be taking place in front of real people. In the case of a big magic act or a vent act the most obvious example of this is kid's parties. I am lucky enough to count this as a very primary source of income and one that I enjoy intensly. I relish the vent practice that I get at kid's shows. Every tiny bit counts and whereas the routines are totally different to those one would use for an adult audience it doesn't matter. When I get home form a Kid's show and Joanne asks me how it went the first thing I always tell her is how well the vent went over. I am also constantly surprised at how comfortable I am with vent at kids shows. A huge leap fromthe first days of doing it. This is a combination of practice and balls. BTW balls really help in showbiz. I never use to have them but I do now. I don't know where they came from I just had to get them soIgot them......about three years ago. I think It was Dante's and the MS that caused this.

Anyway, as I have said in the past. Performance does not exsist in your bedroom. You have to do it for real people. I also think that you have to do it for real people about two weeks sooner than you think you should. This is the complete opposite of my friend Eugene Burger's attitude towards magic. I'm sure my friendship with him will survive it though. You have to get it out there. To revisit the Dunham DVD, Jeff admits to the paint being 'still wet' on his Bubba J figure, A hard character he had never used until that point. So the smarter to are and the bigger the balls and his are big, the easier it is to simply launch into something. I have also seen Dunham doing Melvin The Superhero for a BIG stadium crowd whilst reading the jokes. It didn't matter. It didn't effect the separation or the illusion of reality at all.

As well as watching good ventriloquists I watch loads of bad ones. I love it. I do not do this out of any sense of sadism you understand but rather to see what (absolutely) does not work. When I say bad ventriloquists I don't just mean kids on you tube but some pro's who just don't do it for me. Most of these guys are really famous.

I'm rambling now. I'll shut up.

I will say one more thing about vent routines and it starts at the rehearsal stage. If you don't have a GOOD laugh every ten seconds you need to reduce the length down to where you do. Unless you have a very funny puppet or some very funny sight stuff or a conceptual thing happening like Taylor Mason or Jim Barber you should pull it back. You have to put yourself in the shoes of the people watching. Most of them are not as interested in it as you are. most of them do not share your fascination with puppets. Ecpecially sesame street style puppets. It took me a year to realize that Fetch did not work for adults. Although his dialogue was funny and a little risky. It took too long to get ito it. As soon as the audience see the muppet they see a pupet show. This is why Dunham starts with Walter. I'm hoping that my Vulturefits the bill...so to speak. In time I can certainly see myself doing an old man to. It'sjust a formula that seems to work. I have the character already. Finding the puppet is the next thing.

Food for thought anyway. even if, in reading this bac, I did kind of give you the courses in the wrong order.