Upon slackening the string the face assumes its normal expression (Fig. 4).

The bent wire in the arm can be used with any figure, provided the puppet is on a level with the performer, so that its manipulation is concealed. While standing by the side of the Colored with his arm back of the figure, the manipulator may cause the lat­ter to touch his (the performer’s) chin with its hand and at the same time give utterance to this sage re­mark, ” Nice massa needs er shave, deed he do,” or any other equally wise observation that   the action suggests.

Dancing Coloredes do not properly belong to a ventriloquial entertainment, but they may be used to create a few moments’ diversion from the regular thing and at the same time give the per­former a little rest from vocal effort.

They can be worked from a distance by a cord or from behind a screen by pedals attached to the heels of the figure.    A still better plan is to work the feet by wires running through the trousers legs from the heel and coming out under the coat tails, which conceal the hands as they pull the wires. The feet are such as marionettes have, the joint and weighted toe giving the double rap of the clog dancer.

By means of a rubber tube, large enough to hold a cigarette or cigar, fitting into the mouth and running through the back of the neck to a rubber-bulb, the representative of Dark Town society may be made to puff away like a veteran smoker. This feat may be made more effective by working the mouth with a treadle and allow­ing the figure to place the cigar, held between his fingers, in his mouth himself and take it at will. Of course the wife which lifts the arm will have to be manipulated in such a manner as to insure the cigar’s entering the end of the hidden tube; the mouth being shut down upon it helps to re­tain it as the hand, which may be a tightly stuffed black cotton glove, is allowed to drop, although by forcing the fingers around the cigar and opening the mouth the weed can be removed. The wire to the arm gives complete control of all movements, but practice is necessary to insure a precision of action.

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There are countless other ways in which your figures may be arranged. You might have the representation of a police court, and as the judge work from behind your desk a miscellaneous as­sortment of characters, including policemen, wit­nesses, culprits and hangers-on; or you could act as the teacher of a district school with your fig­ures as scholars. You might even make yourself the interlocutor of a small minstrel troupe by blacking your face, and using a pair of false arms that would allow your real ones to work the strings for the rest of the company.

Before leaving this part of the subject, we will consider briefly some of the animal automata which are occasionally used by the ventriloquial entertainer. Of these the cat is the most com­mon, and may be made to spit, yowl and claw in the most lifelike manner, the spitting and yowl­ing of course being supplied by the performer.

A French ventriloquist who appeared in America a few years ago, carried with him a large papier-mâché cow which opened its mouth and moo’d quite naturally. A dummy parrot suggests nothing unreal when used for ventriloquy, and as much entertainment can be obtained from it as from a real one, which is saying a great deal and if you can give a good imitation of a barking dog you might have the figure of such an animal interrupt the dialogue instead of having the Colored do this.

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Note how the same sound differs when the hands are removed and observe how it is ob­scured when the ears are again stopped. Then with open ears try to imitate the sound which was heard   when they   were muffled.    In this manner try all kinds of tones and noises, and accurately observe their several characteristics. This exercise will bring to the ventriloquist a realization of the range, modulations and capa­bilities of the human voice such as he has never had before. The principal difficulty with the beginner is lack of knowledge concerning the latent possibilities of his own vocal powers, but this can be obviated by practice and the use of the method herein suggested. Because of the fact that ventriloquial effects are produced by using the voice in an unnatural manner, such efforts require greater attention and energy than in ordinary speaking, where the mind is intent upon the subject of the conversation, and the words are uttered without conscious effort.

Some one has said that, ” As perspective is to the eye, so is ventriloquism to the ear,” meaning that as the eye is deceived by the skill of the artist in so painting a landscape as to give the effect of distance, although the whole composi­tion is limned on a perfectly flat surface, so the ventriloquist deludes the ear by speaking in such a manner that the voice appears in the distance, although created close at hand.

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The idea is to make the sound as far back in the pharynx as possible, and to prevent it from rising into the cavity of the mouth by compress­ing the vocal mechanism. Note well that this voice is low-pitched and is not exploded against the palate as in voice No. 2, or simply muffled as in voice No. 1.

In other words, you always send the sound originating in the larynx in the direction from which you desire it to come—if from above you pitch it high and force it against the roof of the mouth, or hard palate; if from near at hand you make it near by confining it in the cavity of the mouth; and if from below you pitch it low and send it downward. From this it follows that the ordinary drone effect represents distance, while the method used in the projection of that sound suggests direction. In developing these voices, use the vowel and consonant exercise already rec­ommended before taking up the vocabulary.

Some ventriloquists use one distance voice for every effect, and in justification of this plan ex­plain that it is so difficult to execute the distant voice in different keys that, where it is desirable to introduce a number of characters, it is best to do it by transition. That is, they alter the nat­ural tones of the voice so as to make a very ap­parent distinction between it and the mimetic voice. This can be done so skilfully that the audience will not realize the change, and enthusiastically declare this to be one of the great­est secrets of the art.

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Polyphonism, in its entertainment sense, is the imitation of sounds other than speech, such as the humming of bees, the bleating of sheep, the lowing of cattle, the braying of a donkey, or the noise made by planing, sawing, the drawing of a glass of soda, etc., many of which cannot be made ventriloquially, and so form no deception as to the source from which they emanate. A few general hints will aid you in making a be­ginning, and with practice you can produce most of the imitations with sufficient accuracy simply by following the instructions given.

The Mosquito. —Beginning first with the sim­pler sounds try that made by a mosquito. For this you hold your throat and mouth in exactly the same position as for the ventriloquial drone, only you make the sound very shrill—in fact, at the very highest pitch you can reach—while at the same time straining with the chest.

A Bee. —With the vocal organs in the drone position use considerable pressure upon the chest and make the pitch lower than for the mosquito. Produce a handkerchief, and as you sound the drone chase the imaginary bee about the room. After pretending to catch it, put the handker­chief containing the bee (?) into the pocket. Then, apparently forgetting that it is there, pro­duce the handkerchief and appear to allow the bee to escape.

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A nice little point of procedure which may be taken advantage of to help conceal the limita­tions of the art may be mentioned here, to wit: when you speak in your natural voice, employ, if you can without rendering your speech stilted and absurd, words that are impracticable in ven­triloquism; also make your utterance as far for­ward in the mouth as possible, and exaggerate a little the unrestrained motion of your lips. When you cease to speak naturally, your countenance changes as if you had really ceased, although you are still sustaining a conversation. After a time, when you drop the natural voice the face changes by habit from animation to repose, and the vocal organs mechanically adjust themselves for the effect required.

In speaking ventriloquially it is not necessary to close the teeth, unless you find, as I do, that this helps you to better control the facial muscles; but it is always best nearly to do so, as this gives a natural and pleased expression to the face. If you close them, do not press them together in a manner that will give you the appearance of a Russian Cossack in a cavalry charge at Liaoyang, and above all things don’t grin like the fierce villain of the play when he hisses through his set teeth, ” Ha, ha, I have you now! ” If the mouth and teeth are too much open the movements of the tongue are likely to be seen; if the lips are closed the sound cannot leave the mouth, so a middle course must be adopted. At times during the entertainment the ” business ” may allow you to turn your head away from the audience, and your dialogue should be so arranged that these occasions may be seized upon for the vigorous utterance of any proscribed words you are obliged to use.

For more tips on ventriloquism please visit http://www.ventriloquistsecretsrevealed.com

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I say “If you get the chance go and see his show and see a ventriloquist at the top of his field.”
There is great article including an interview with Paul became a ventriloquist, attitude toward ventriloquism etc. You can check it out here:
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/lifestyle/Venting-spleen/article-2417571-detail/article.html
I think they get Terry Fator mixed up with Jeff Dunham, otherwise it gives some good insights into what makes a ventriloquist.
The dates for Paul Zerdin’s 2010 shows are:
July 2010
Wednesday 21st The National Lottery, BBC1
Friday 23rd Redgrave Theatre, Bristol
Saturday 24th Newbury Festival, Newbury

August 2010
Thursday 5th – 15th Sponge Fest – Revisited, Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh

September 2010
Wednesday 22nd Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury
Thursday 23rd Octagon Theatre, Yeovil
Friday 24th David Lloyd Club, Raynes Park
Saturday 25th White Rock Theatre, Hastings
Sunday 26th Wimbledon Theatre Centenary Celebrations, Wimbledon
Wednesday 29th Corn Exchange, Bedford
Thursday 30th Komedia, Bath

October 2010
Friday 1st Theatr Hafren, Newtown
Saturday 2nd Camberley Theatre,
Sunday 3rd Garrick Theatre, Lichfield
Wednesday 6th Wulfren Halls, Wolverhampton
Thursday 7th Palace Theatre, Newark
Sunday 10th Capitol Theatre, Horsham
Monday 11th Comedy Festival, Sheffield
Tuesday 12th Leicester Square Theatre, London
Wednesday 13th Leicester Square Theatre, London
Thursday 14th Pavillion Theatre, Brighton
Friday 15th Arts Centre , Darlington
Saturday 16th Clocktower Arts , Croydon
Tuesday 19th The Comedy Store, Manchester
Wednesday 20th Alban Arena, St.Albans
Friday 22nd The Regal, Tenbury Wells
Sunday 24th Playhouse Theatre, Derby
Tuesday 26th Library Theatre, Leeds
Wednesday 27th Richmond Theatre, Richmond
Thursday 28th Assembly Room, Tamworth
Saturday 30th Millennium Studio, Cardiff
Sunday 31st Millennium Studio, Cardiff

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The Vent Haven convention is the oldest and biggest get together of ventriloquists. Held annually and put on by Vent Haven
This year’s convention opens shortly for registration – it runs from the 14 -17 July in Ft. Mitchell, KY at the Drawbridge Inn & Convention Center.  
It has much to help the ventriloquist hone their act and skills. There are workshops and lectures on the craft of ventriloquism.  There is an impressive list of 25 suppliers of ventriloquist puppets, props and collectibles.
There are expected to be over 400 ventriloquists attending this year. It is a great opportunity for ventriloquists of all skill levels to mix and mingle and learn from each other.
It is a full schedule including a talk by Jeff Dunham on “Enhancing Your Performance Skills.” It’ll be great to get this from a ventriloquist at the top of the field.
I can’t make it this year. There is always next year. I’m sure those there will have a fun and informative time.
If you want to know more about the largest gathering of ventriloquists please click here:
http://www.venthavenconvention.com/

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I just came across a listing on Craigslist for a ventriloquist to open up for an advance screening of a new film.

Looks interesting – it’s in Time’s Square, New York on 29th July 2010. The qualifications needed are that you a professional or highly trained ventriloquist and have an act where your ventriloquist figure is your best friend or partner. A character in the soon to be released film is a ventriloquist that is married to his friend.

You can find out more here about the role here:-

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/tlg/1841306348.html

Could you be opening for Jeff Dunham, who is part of the supporting cast in a film being released on 30 July 2010?  I can’t see any other film starring ventriloquist that this description would meet.

They would like a photo of you and your puppet and a price for your ventriloquist act. If you are interested and can be in New York on the 29th could be good for you.

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From the box or closet illusion it is an easy step to the production of the voice overhead, from through a wall or under the floor, although in attempting either of these effects there are several striking points or essentials to be care­fully observed.

For the voice on the roof you do not use the drone pure and simple, although you retain the same formation of the vocal organs. This gives the distant effect, but instead of retaining the voice in the back of the throat, as it were, you force it against the back of the hard palate, or roof of the mouth. The quality of the voice should be a kind of gruff falsetto, elevated to a high pitch.

By rolling back the tongue and keeping the jaws rigid, with the lips slightly apart, the palate will be elevated and drawn nearer to the pharynx, thereby forming a cavity in the back part of the mouth and throat. The consonant sounds need not be articulated plainly, all words being formed in the pharynx and exploded, as it were, against the roof of the mouth by sudden expulsions of the breath clear from the lungs at every word.

When you are ready to try this voice in public, take your position as far from the audience as possible, because, as already stated, the more removed you are from the listeners the better the effect will seem to them. If you are not entirely sure of yourself, deliberately turn your back on the company and direct their attention to the ceiling, either by looking upward or by pointing while calling loudly, as if you have reason to be­lieve some one is concealed above. Make your own voice very distinct and loud and as close to the lips as possible to give further contrast be­tween the natural and the ventriloquial voice. In fact, almost shout, and then in exactly the same tone and pitch, but as faint as possible con­sistent with audibility, answer in the manner already described.

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