Ventriloquists are unique performers who are able to create the illusion that their “dummy” is talking to them. By throwing their voice, ventriloquists are able to deceive audience members and make it seem like the dummy is alive and speaking.
This art form has been around for centuries and there are ventriloquists all over the world. In Singapore, there are a few ventriloquists who also perform in comedy shows.
What Ventriloquists Do
First of all, ventriloquists misdirect the audience by throwing their voice. They will usually do this through a ventriloquist’s dummy and create the illusion that the ventriloquist is speaking. This sounds simple but it requires a lot of practice and skill to be able to successfully throw one’s voice and deceive audiences.
Using ventriloquist dummies, ventriloquists also incorporate fun gags on stage to entertain their audience. For example, the ventriloquist may say something rude and unbecoming of a dummy while the actual ventriloquist remains silent. At this point, it would seem like the ventriloquist is talking to the dummy which would be quite hilarious for the audience.
Ventriloquism has been around for centuries and it is an art form that requires a lot of practice and skill. Singapore has ventriloquists who are able to create the illusion that ventriloquist dummies are alive and speaking.
Why Ventriloquists Are Also Great Comic Artists
As ventriloquists are able to create the illusion that ventriloquist dummies are alive and speaking, ventriloquists can be funny and can be considered great comic artists for a comedy show.
In fact, ventriloquism is suitable for all kinds of live shows as ventriloquists are able to use their ventriloquist dummies to create great gags.
Some people may laugh off that ventriloquists are mainly for kids. That is not true. While puppets tend to relate to children and there are children ventriloquists, there are also many ventriloquists who perform at your local comedy club.
In addition, it’s good to note that ventriloquists usually don’t do explicit dirty jokes so the shows can be a great addition to a family event.
Ventriloquists For Stand-up Comedy Shows
Essentially, ventriloquists are also comedians and have a unique sense of humour. The main difference from stand-up comics is that they have a “partner” to work with, which in this case, is a puppet.
While most comedy nights feature stand-up comedians, there are many venues and comedy clubs that also feature ventriloquists as one of their line-ups.
Ventriloquists tend to stand out from the rest of the comedians due to a unique performing angle and their performance can still bring laughter to the audiences.
Famous Ventriloquists Around The World
There are a number of famous ventriloquists around the world and they include:
Terry Fator
America’s Got Talent Season 2 winner. He won the ventriloquism competition with his ventriloquist dummy, Winston.
Jeff Dunham
Ventriloquist and star of numerous one-man shows performed worldwide. He is famed for his ventriloquist dummies named Walter, Peanut, Bubba J, José Jalapeño on a Stick, and many others.
Paul Zerdin
Ventriloquist from London. He was on America’s Got Talent Season 10 and appeared with two of his ventriloquist dummies, Sam and Emma.
Darci Lynne
Ventriloquist from Oklahoma who was also on Season 12 of America’s Got Talent. She took the stage and won the competition with her ventriloquist dummy, Petunia.
Nina Conti
Ventriloquist from the UK. She uses ventriloquist dummies named Monkey and Gonzo to make audiences laugh.
These ventriloquists were all great ventriloquists who performed around the world and won many awards and accolades.
Ventriloquists in Singapore Scene
Ventriloquists are great choices for comedy shows, local events, talent shows and even performing arts venues.
There are ventriloquists in Singapore who have built up a good reputation over the years with their ventriloquist dummies and they perform regularly around town and at major international events.
There are many great comedians like Fakkah Fuzz, Jinx Yeo, and Jacky Ng and we also see many great shows like The Kumar show, Chandler’s Comedy Night, and Comedy Masala in Singapore.
Ventriloquists are rarely featured in stand-up comedy and comedy nights due to perceptions like “they are for kids”, not funny enough, or just to laugh them off.
Recommended Singapore Ventriloquist
There are some great ventriloquists in Singapore, including Victor Khoo and Patrick Wan. Recently there is also a new ventriloquist by the name of Joseph Then.
Starting out performing for children, he has, for the past few years, performed for corporate events with great success.
His performance has brought him to different countries and he is the first from Singapore to be featured in the famed VentHaven in the USA in 2017.
We hope to see more of Singapore’s very own ventriloquist and be sure to catch his corporate performance because he does have a funny bone. (Incidentally, he has a puppet character called “Bones“!)
If you are looking for a unique comedy show for your event, do not miss Singapore-based ventriloquist, Joseph Then. Catch him on his Facebook or check out some of his video recording set.