How do I get my Start?

One of the biggest questions when starting out as an entertainer is "How do I get my start?". Which is a very important question. I mean after all, you've already worn out your welcome with your family and your friends. If they hear another ventriloquist routine in their lives it will be too soon! And are they really an "unbiased" group anyway? I know that my parents always thought I was funny (at least that's what they told me). My friends could be more brutal than productive. So where to perform, where to perform.

First of all, your best critic is yourself (actually, I think the saying goes is your worst critic is yourself) but that is because you want to be perfect. So, if you have a camcorder and some time, record your routine and watch it. As a matter of fact, I would demand that you do this, before you ever go public. Watch everything about your show and if you feel confident with it. Now is the time to "get your start".

Now if you have an "R" rated routine do not follow these instructions. I have no advice for you other than hitting the amateur nights at the local comedy clubs. Believe me, if you stink you'll know if and if your a hit you'll know it as well. But for the majority of you, open up your phone book and check these resources, Nursing Homes, Homes for the Elderly, Lions and Kiwanis Clubs and your local libraries. Now these, for the most part, are not going to be paying shows. Nursing Homes and Homes for the elderly are on tight budgets and won't pay much but they do give you a lot of experience and the folks there love it. Libraries will pay good but if your just starting out you don't want to charge too much, just explain your situation to them and ask them if you can do a short routine and then have a story time with the children. Note about libraries, keep religion out of your routine, they frown on this and my never invite you back!

These are just a few places that love new entertainment and gives you the practice and the experience to start performing at larger venues and making the big bucks! Until next time.

Lip Control, If you don't have it, PRACTICE

It's interesting how many people on the vent lists stick up for those who move their lips as a ventriloquist. What's more amazing is the fact that they believe that someone calling themselves a ventriloquist can go ahead and pretty much have as much lip movement as possible and not apologize for it. Mind you, the definition of ventriloquist is "belly talker". But we know that already having studied ventriloquism. But ask a layman what the definition of a ventriloquist is. You know what they'll say? Go ahead take a guess. That's right, someone who talks without moving their lips.

Have you ever met someone who saw a bad ventriloquist? What do they usually say about their show? "He was a horrible ventriloquist, his lips moved the whole time!" Can you name a famous ventriloquist who's lips moved? I challenge you to name one. OK. Edgar Bergen. I hear ya, you don't need to shout. Edgar Bergen. Now answer this one for me. How did Bergen get famous? Oh, that's right. ON THE RADIO. Now I'm no rocket scientist but I'll bet Bergen became famous more for the characters he developed than his ventriloquism. As a matter of fact, I'm sure of it. Don't get me wrong, I do think Bergen's manipulation is excellent, but so was Waylon Flowers and he was a puppeteer, not a ventriloquist. I'm not taking anything away from Edgar Bergen, from what I understand, during his vaudeville days his lip control was excellent. But when he moved to radio he felt it was more important for the radio audience to understand Charlie than it was for his small studio audience to not see his lips move. So you see, Bergen wasn't a bad ventriloquist, just a smart business man.

Now let's get back to the topic at hand. Anything worth doing is worth doing right and if you can't do ventriloquism without moving your lips, for the love of Pete, practice. I'm not saying that your lips have to be as stiff as a board when your figure is talking but you should try to be perfect. Work towards perfection. Now I will admit that my lips still quiver every once in a while, more sometimes than others. But I still practice to be better (and mind you, I've been practicing since I was 5). I can't believe that some of you out there say you practice as much as you do and are so bad. Hey, maybe I'm the Simon Cowell of ventriloquism but I say if you been practicing that long and are still that bad, find a new hobby. Your making us look bad.

This is not to say that there are not other important areas like a good routine, good character development or good manipulation. But Abbott and Costello had both good routines and good character development, guess what. They weren't ventriloquists. The guy on the Hudson Brothers who had the Emu had good character development and good manipulation, guess what. He wasn't a ventriloquist (or maybe he called himself one but had such bad lip control that he chose not to talk the Emu). The only thing that makes use different as ventriloquist's is that we talk without moving our lips. I say if you can't talk without moving your lips, don't call yourself a ventriloquist. Hey, you can still be on the WorldVent List, I don't think you have to be a ventriloquist to be on it. But, by calling yourself a ventriloquist who are you fooling besides yourself?