There was a time, not so long ago, that when people thought of ventriloquism they thought of Charlie McCarthy and Edgar Bergen. If not them, it was Sheri Lewis and Lambchop. In other words, they thought ventriloquism was only in the past or for children only. Times have changed. If you’ve ever had an interest in ventriloquism now is the time to get in on the act.
Terry Fator recently won America’s Got Talent doing a unique ventriloquism act. His figure did imitations of performers such as Cher and Garth Brooks. There’s nothing like a turtle puppet named Winston singing “What a Wonderful World” in a dead on Kermit the Frog voice. Fator now has a million dollar contract for his Las Vegas show at the Mirage. Not bad for a “puppet act”. Terry’s act is family oriented and suitable for all ages.
You may have also heard of guy named Jeff Dunham. Dunham is known more as a comedian than a ventriloquist. He proves that you can do a comedy club act geared for adult audiences using ventriloquism. His most well-known side-kick, Walter, is a grouchy old man who’s liable to say anything.
Dunham also works with Peanut, Jose Jalapeno on a Stick, Melvin the Superhero Guy, and even Achmed the Dead Terrorist. Achmed is living proof (well not exactly “living”) that there’s room in the ventriloquist world for many kinds of figures. You don’t have to stick with any particular type of puppet.
Forbes.com has ranked Dunham as the 3rd highest paid comedian in the U.S. From June 2008 to June 2009 he earned approximately $30 million dollars. He has sold over four million DVDs and his 2008 television show, “A Very Special Christmas Special”, was the most watched show in the history of Comedy Central.
Along with the world famous ventriloquists there are many other people making a living with their side-kick vent figures. Libraries host shows through-out the year for special occasions and all summer for their reading programs. Many ventriloquists get paid to do shows of these types. These shows are designed to encourage children to enjoy reading and to love coming to the library.
Many schools hire ventriloquists for shows. Schools require that the shows have an educational theme such as history, math, or character building. Mark Wade is a popular school performer. His latest show is called “The Power of Respect” and he always include an anti-bullying segment in each of his shows.
Birthday parties are a great way for ventriloquists to get started. Even when money is tight parents want their children to have awesome birthday parties. They’re willing to pay money for entertainers to come make their child’s day special. During these parties audience involvement is important. If a ventriloquist makes their child’s party special by entertaining the children they will pass the word to other parents and the vent will have plenty of local work.
Sunday School teachers are another group of people that use ventriloquism. Using a vent figure is a great way to teach Bible lessons to children. Kids may get bored with their teacher but they love the vent figure! These are not usually paid gigs but they’re a good way to get started and gain experience.
If you have an interest in ventriloquism jump in and get started. Find a figure, get some instructional books or DVD’s and who knows – you may on your way to Vegas.