Tips and Techniques 2004

Vent Basics by Jeff Dunham

Do You Have a Game Plan? by Mark Wade

December 2004

VENT BASICS   by Jeff Dunham

When a person is first learning to perform ventriloquism, mastering the basic technique is obviously of the utmost importance. A few minutes spent every day in front of the mirror or video camera is a must.   But in my opinion, that's less than half the battle...

What is just about THE saddest thing to see on stage?  I'd say a ventriloquist with bad technique.  BUT... What's even MORE sad than that?  How about this: A bad, UNFUNNY ventriloquist. 

Bad vent technique and the inability to be funny are the two stumbling blocks that have given ventriloquism a bad name in the past few decades. Back in the 50's and 60's, aspiring vents saw Bergen moving his lips, and I think they then figured if the greatest vent of all time moved his lips, what's the big deal? Just get a dummy, put him on your knee and tell jokes from joke books.  Now you're in show business!

I guess it's understandable why one could come to that conclusion.  But to me that's a bit like buying a bunch of oil paints and some brushes, then declaring that you're an artist.   I think the point most people miss about Bergen is that he achieved and maintained his reputation not from his technique, but from the characters he created and the material he used with them.

Edgar Bergen was a comedy writer and a master of performance timing.  The technique of ventriloquism came second in his act. The believability of Charlie and Mortimer and the dialogue they spoke were what made Bergen virtually untouchable as a performer. So here's my point for this article:  Until a vent learns to be funny with a good, believable character,  good technique is the only thing some vents have left going for them.  If you have bad material, then move your lips and don't manipulate, you're helping forward the notion that ALL vents are horrible.

For the performing vents and beginning vents alike, let's go through the very basics of developing and maintaining good ventriloquial technique.

Not long ago I was reminiscing and listening to Jimmy Nelson's first album, Instant Ventriloquism.  This is where I learned vent, back when I was in the third grade.  It reminded me of just how easy it is to learn basic close-up ventriloquism.  Jimmy did a superb job of breaking down what is seemingly a very difficult skill into something that is easy for anyone to learn in a relatively short time.  The big secret?... Be patient and learn each little step one at a time. 

First, learn and practice the 'easy alphabet'. Keep your teeth lightly together with your lips slightly apart.  Then say,  A-C-D-E-G-H-I-J-K-L-N-O-Q-R-S-T-U-X and Z. Anybody can say those letters without moving their lips!  PRACTICE.

The next steps? Spend about twenty minutes with each 'difficult' letter. Make up a sentence that has a billion b's in it. Substitute the d for the b and keep thinking b when you say d. This is the 'secret' to talking without moving your lips: SUBSTITUTION.  Eventually, you'll find a happy medium of saying d and rolling your tongue to pronounce b.

Here are the other substitutions: For F, substitute th. For M, use N.  P becomes V.  W is now duddle-oo.  Finally, the Y sound is said with a quick, smushed together, O-eye.

Take each letter one at a time, spend a good amount of time with each, and you'll be amazed with the results. B-F-M-P-V-W and Y. Each one is important, so just TAKE YOUR TIME. Again, the basics can never be left alone. I  think any good musician or athlete will tell you the same.

I also believe that in vent simplicity is the key. The first book I had on ventriloquism was  Fun with Ventriloquism by Alexander Van Rensselaer. That book is the epitome of simplicity. It was written for the aspiring kid ventriloquist and it's great.  So my point to all this is when you start to feel sloppy, revert to the olden days. Your audience will thank you for it.

One final point, some vents feel that when writing your act, you should avoid words that are difficult to pronounce. In other words, if you have a sentence like, "Mary and Beth ate a pizza," change it to, "Jane and Hilda ate steak." What do you think? I say "poo poo". (Okay, "too too.")  If you do that, what happens when you have to ad-lib? Can you really easily think of a quick funny sentence that doesn't have a B, F, M, P, V, W or Y? That's too much of a hindrance.  You should be able to speak in your vent voice and say things in your vent voice just as if you were speaking and pronouncing in your own. That's the only sure-fire way of helping you be comfortable with pronunciation.  Good luck, keep practicing, and oh yeah: Don't forget to BE FUNNY.

*Article edited and reprinted from the New Oracle, Mar-Apr 1984, p. 13-14.

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November 2004

DO YOU HAVE A "GAME PLAN?" 

by Mark Wade                       

Any endeavor worth doing is worth doing well. . . and that is especially true when it comes to performing before the general public. But many times we ventriloquists (or magicians, clowns, etc.) fail to put together our master "game plan", the outline of what we are trying to accomplish.

To try and perform without knowing what direction to take is like trying to steer a ship without a rudder. . . the whole thing wanders aimlessly. Therefore you owe it to yourself to take some time and figure out just exactly what you are trying to accomplish with your ventriloquism.

A brainstorming session with yourself and a piece of paper and a pencil or pen will do the trick. Sit down in a quiet place and do some soul searching. On that piece of paper you might want to put some subheadings such as:

1. What kind of audiences will I be playing for primarily?

2. What kind of characters (wood, fiberglass, soft-sculpture, etc.) will put the act across?

3. How much time do I need to do (length of act)?

4. Do I want to do this for a living? Do I only want to do vent part-time?

5. What is my ultimate goal with ventriloquism or my act?

By putting forth a little effort you can clearly define what you want to do with vent and/or your act and then have some purpose. By using this method you can avoid unnecessary side-trips into areas that you might not feel comfortable (for  instance. . . you might not like to do programs in nightclubs or lounges) or spend money on characters that you thought would be "really neat" but find out later that it doesn't fit in with your act or what you are trying to do. I would certainly hate to see the closets of some performers. . . they're probably jammed with puppets, magic, and props that looked good at the time but really didn't fit into the overall game plan.  

Remember. . . the "game plan" is like a road map. It can keep you on course and get you to your destination without detours. After all, life is too short to waste it on incidentals.

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