Ventriloquist
OFO No: 265901
Jeff Dunham – One of the Greatest Ventriloquists!
What is a Ventriloquist?
Imagine someone holding a puppet and suddenly the puppet starts talking! That’s ventriloquism! – someone bringing a puppet or ‘dummy’ to life by seemingly having a conversation with it.
The dummy is hand manipulated by the Ventriloquist to look like it is talking.
The Ventriloquist has the tricky job of ‘making’ the dummy talk without the Ventriloquist blatantly speaking. When you look at the Ventroloquist their lips are hardly moving. This is a very precise skill which takes time and dedication to get right.
Ventriloquists make it seem that the voice is coming from the dummy itself. This is a technique called ‘throwing the voice’.
Ventriloquists usually perform in front of audiences and are comedic.
Ventroloquism has not been very popular lately but recently, with Jeff Dunham hitting the big time, ventroloquism has taken off again.
What does a Ventriloquist do?
- finds or designs a puppet or ‘dummy’ they could relate to
- practices’throwing their voice’ so it looks and sounds realistic
- creates a routine that could be performed in front of an audience
- constantly updates their material
- performs on stage, at parties or events
Are you … ?
- funny?
- passionate?
- driven?
- dedicated?
- someone who likes to entertain?
- creative?
- willing to spend many hours practising?
How do I become a Ventriloquist?
There are no courses at the moment. However, there are loads of books, dvds etc that you could access.
It’s really up to you to do your own thing, practice, practice and practice and if you’re dedicated and passionate enough work your way towards getting your own show.
Once you think you are good enough to go ‘live’ – you could start performing at schools, parties, fairs, expos and corporate functions. Once you have made a name for yourself you may be able to headline your own show, like internationally acclaimed, Jeff Dunham, who is now extremely successful.
OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER: Comedian … or … Entertainer
Is becoming a Ventriloquist the right career choice for me?
