Professional Kid Show Mentoring

Mark Wade tells me he is now offering professional mentoring for kidshow ventriloquists. What an amazing opportunity. Learn from the pro! The program is for three days and is a special one-on-one program where Mark teaches the specifics of what the individual being mentored wants to know. After an interview with them on the phone, in person, or by email, they jointly decide on the program course. Marks then set up the program so they can go to Grove City, Ohio and go out on several shows with Mark. This allows one-on-one talk about what they have seen and why Mark does it the way he does.

After the shows they have intense learning sessions and the "student" has Mark's undivided attention for three days. How fantastic such a training opportunity! The price is discussed when the interested parties contact Mark. It's a fun three days of learning and on the job training, something never offered to the vent community before in quite this manner. Now is the time to capitalize on Mark's years of knowledge and experience. If you want to make yourself a better kidshow vent, contact Mark now while he's willing to spill his success secrets!
kidshowvent@roadrunner.com

Little Jet-Setter

From Billy James
(Australia)

I completed the Maher Course many years ago and got some great products from you back then. All those years ago I had an old Maher catalog and I REALLY loved Comical Clyde. However, when I went to the Maher website he didn't look the same. After I emailed you about it, you explained about the change in the mold over the years. In the end I had Mike Brose make me up one of his 'cheeky boy' figures (which was fantastic!) but I did really love the look of the old Comical Clyde.

Anyway, just recently I came across one of the 'older' style Comical Clydes for sale in Germany! So, I pounced! He arrived here in Australia yesterday and I have to say that he is absolutely BRILLIANT! The face has SO much character. I am just so thrilled and I guess all good things come to those who wait! So there it is, he started in your workshop, flew to Germany and now resides in Australia. The little jet-setter is shown with me in this picture. I'm looking forward to putting him to work in my Christmas shows this year. All the best, Billy.

Tip of the Issue

Our friends at The Dummy Shop just sent us a picture of their newest character, Samuel Henry Issac Davis. I have a feeling he's a man who will not hesitate to speak his mind!

Included with the email release was this tip (which we pass along with their permission) for those of you working with soft puppets:

Tip of the Issue: A new friend of ours received a puppet this week and made the comment that the mouth was a little bit loose on his hand. There is an easy fix for this. We told him to go to his local fabric store and buy a small piece of 1/2" foam. Cut the foam a little smaller than the approximate size and shape of the puppets mouth and insert it in the mouth between your fingers and the mouth. For those who have puppets that have finger and thumb straps, this will take up all the slack and give you a snug fit if that is your preference.

We have a winner!

ADVANCED VENTRILOQUISM - DVD

By Gary Owen

Taped live at the 2006 International Ventriloquist Convention, Gary Owen in this workshop setting, shares ideas on how to make your show look like a pro. Staging, music, and choreography. Plus an interactive segment where you will learn proper techniques for good voice and lip control. And Gary demonstrates how easily you can develop the baby cry, distant voice, plus a variety of dialects, accents, voice characterizations and polyphony. Learn from the master!!

The person responding with the required 5th post was Canon John Jordan (Ontario). Congratulations! Next Give-away will be Monday (11/30/09)

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From Ron Havens: I believe I was at that workshop and could possibly even be in the DVD.

From Clinton: Gary still has copies of this DVD for sale. They are $25.00 each which includes shipping. Email Gary to purchase: garyowenprod@sbcglobal.net

From Canon John Jordan: Thank you Clinton. Imagine winning a prize and being rewarded for indulging in one of my daily morning pleasures ~ checking in with the Daily Journal. You are certainly spreading joy in the world by sharing your hints, tips, and above all, your years of experience. Blessings, John.

Holiday DVD Sale!

SUCCESSFUL VENTRILOQUISM - #1 DVD for teaching kids and adults how to be a successful ventriloquist. 50 minutes of easy-to-follow instruction and demonstration by Mark Wade, master performer and teacher. Taped live. Learn how to speak without lip movement with voice characterization for the puppet/dummy. Learn to manipulate the figure in an amazing, entertaining and lifelike manner! Regular Price: $19.95 SALE: $9.95 Free shipping!
ADVANCED VENTRILOQUISM DVD - Mark Wade demonstrates and explains advanced professional ventriloquist techniques and secrets: distant voice (voice "throwing"), baby cry, comedy tips, advanced manipulation and more! Laugh as you learn! 50 minutes. Reg. $19.95. SALE: $9.95 Free shipping!

THE ART OF THE KID SHOW - Outstanding 50 minute DVD on which Mark Wade tells you the various secrets of successful kid show performing. As one of America's foremost professional kid show performers, Mark then shows you with live performance (taken from one of his shows) how it is done. This is a valuable money-making resource for any kid show entertainer! Regular Price $19.95. SALE: $9.95 Free shipping!

LIMITED TIME HOLIDAY OFFER:

(Special offer for Blog visitors only)
SET OF ALL THREE DVD's - $25.00 Free Shipping!

mahertalk@aol.com

Happy Thanksgiving from the Detweilers!

"Dinner With Friends"

I wish it were possible for Adelia and I to post a picture of all the friends we have made as a result of our involvement with ventriloquism. Obviously, that's impossible as that would take thousands of images - most of which we have never seen. But we count YOU as one of our friends. So today, as we reflect in special Thanksgiving for multiple blessings in our lives, you - where ever you live in the world, are on our list of blessings!

("Dinner With Friends" illustration by Dave Miller, copyright 1977)

Pull ring controls (fumble, fumble)

Question: I recently bought a small vent dummy, it has a pull ring to control the moving mouth and 2 pull rings to control moving eyes left to right and right to left.
However, I have difficulty controlling pull ring mouth with pull ring eye movement. Do you have any reference where I can read about controlling such pull ring figures ?

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Answer: I've never seen a reference as to how a person should use the multiple pull rings. It's whatever works, I suppose. Rings are difficult to slip fingertips into, and difficult (if not impossible), to keep in place through an entire performance. They're really not a practical control for the serious performer, which is why I've replaced many of those pull rings with levers.

We have a winner!

It was 1995 when I got the crazy idea to create the official "Ventrilo-Buck" from the "United Studios of Maher". One dollar legal tender ("For all debts payable to Maher Studios") was sent with each order for a couple months. Now they're collector's items. This one is autographed by myself and Adelia.

The 10th (tenth) person who responded after reading this post and the winner of the "Ventrilo-Buck" is FRANK WARD (WA).
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Note from Ron Scherer: "Hi Clinton. I remember those dollars well. It was about that time I got serious about collecting vent items. I believe those and the NAAV spoons were among my favorites."
From Clinton: Thanks for the suggestion. I do have one of those NAAV spoons in my prize stash. I'll schedule it soon.

Wisdom For Dummies

By Sandi Stricker

I'm still new at this ventriloquism - a little over a year into it. I am writing my own scripts, and must say memorizing them certainly is good for exercising the brain at my age. To help me get through a script, sometimes Woody (Mr. Woodrow) has to refer to his reference book, "WISDOM FOR DUMMIES".

I used one of those paperback books with the yellow and black cover called "Internet (or whatever) for Dummies". I took black paint and painted over the "INTERNET" word, and then in yellow paint, painted in the word "WISDOM", so now it read "WISDOM for DUMMIES".

I only use the front cover, and then folded it in half, so when open, the audience sees the cover and the words "WISDOM FOR DUMMIES". I made a couple pages in it, and occasionally he needs to look something up and therefore we have a paragraph of script in front of us.

I stapled the corner of the book to his shirt cuff so it looks like he is holding it in his other hand. Then when he refers to it, I hold the other side in my hand. The audience seems to get a kick out of his Wisdom for Dummies book, even though I never refer to him as a "dummy" (ventriloquisimy incorrect as I learned from your course).

An example of what I put in it for reference and patter assistance include: What the Economic Stimulus Payment is and where the money goes; For bosses day I had patter in it on Woody's quick reference to appropriate (but funny) ways to write lines in letters of recommendation; and, A reference he has to look up regarding a scientific fact about why drinking wine is better than drinking water.

Whatever I use the book for is always something that is appropriate to "look up" in a reference book. It seems to work great.