I have been fortunate enough to puppeteer on a handful of stage, film and television projects over the years. And while my opportunities have been more than some and less than others, I believe my skill set is at the very least, not embarrassing.
As a 28 year stand-up comic & ventriloquist touring act ( www.MichaelPaulOnline.com ), I have been told by other vents, that the ventriloquist is the distant, barely acknowledged, slightly “challenged” cousin of the puppeteer.
I don’t believe this has never happened to me directly, with the theoretical exception that I’ve missed invitations to audition for puppeteering roles, perhaps thinking the ventriloquist’s abilities to crossover into other genres is not present.
So I broke it down into the usual comments or misconceptions …
1. Most think of ventriloquism is less about puppet manipulation and more about lip technique.
REBUTTAL: Yes, many times there is either bad lip technique or bad puppetry. But I’ve decided, it’s all about the puppetry. I’ve seen people time and again get so engrossed in the puppet, they do not see the vent on stage flapping his lips like Mick Jagger. Who? You ask. … Call me … we’ll talk.
2. The old school wooden figures are considered clunky or limited in movement with little finesse required.
REBUTTAL: Yes it’s true, sometimes the wooden figures are less than “clean” in movement, but to many, that is a genre choice that can really work for the character.
3. Most vent acts are cheesy, hacky or unsurprising setup/punchline formats.
REBUTTAL: The truth is, it’s all been done before and everything old is new again in one form or another. There is horrible puppeteering and hacky scripting in all forms. I once saw a vent act so bad, that I sprained my eyeball from rolling it so hard.
4. Many artsy-fartsy puppeteers think it’s a turn-off when other puppeteers promote their brand.
REBUTTAL: One, try creating your own stuff from scratch as the primary income paying your bills for years, as opposed to being cast in someone else’s show. Then talk to the ventriloquist. And two, it’s called show business.
My New York City, comedy snark believes there is certainly some snobbery if you aren’t puppeteering in all black from head to toe, performing pieces from the Ming Dynasty, or stuffed into a full bodied costume, sweating your balls off like ya deserve a medal, or floating masks around and doing some abstract masturbatory bullshit. All of which I appreciate and enjoy.
Many puppeteers have performed characters with effects, cables, syncing or partnering with multiple puppeteers. But the ventriloquist has a tremendous responsibility other puppeteers could never fathom, at times, doing all of those things for the puppet while simultaneously responsible for their own look, delivery and blocking.
How do you keep the puppet alive for 10-15 minutes straight while keeping yourself moving and acting in a manner that looks completely separate in body language, as well as timing out calls and responses to each other with natural, alternately-timed actions and reactions?
Many times vents have to perform the character without looking at it. They don’t have monitors or scrim masks to keep an eye on the character. Because, for example, in normal conversation one might look away in distraction or annoyance. Now the performer must memorize their framed space as well as audience member locations for proper eye focus and body extension.
If there is an unexpected hiccup, whether it be technical, audience interjections, a brain fart or an actual hiccup, the vent performer does not have the luxury to look at a script, or take a drink of water (stop it) or wipe the brow. The ventriloquist has to keep going, thinking for two, while looking good and sustaining the continuous natural, conversation for themselves and the additional “individual”.
But back to the puppeteering. Good puppeteering. Broad or intimate. The rules are fluid and transferable to each genre of performance. You either have the coordination and sensibility or you do not.
So in this time of political and social polarizing, do what I do. Know your brother. THEN you can think less of them!
PS: Unrelated, to the vents - stop carrying around the doll outside of the show, referring to “us” or “we” or talking to yourself in public. You’re getting socially weird. “Grey Gardens” weird.