Back home from I-Fest! Whoo! Lots of fun and great to run into so many friends again. The best part of the convention is seeing old pals. I manned the Axtell Booth for much of the convention and gleaned some ideas:

Rat Puppet can be used for bullying to explain what happened to his ear. He has to learn not to be such a big rat, even though he was bullied by bigger brothers and sisters at home. How many? 200.

The Hippo was the BIGGEST hit. People complimented the look and the comfort of the head, but it was the bikini that caught their attention. Use it in a skit on body image and self-esteem. A female version of Austin Powers.

Yes, I got to play with the robot puppet. I CAN Toucan is like the Everready bunny. It just kept on going, and going. The automatic "alive" mode is random enough that it truly looks alive. In fact, I just kept it in that mode so when I wanted to speak with it I only had one button to push. I can't figure out cell phones, so if I can work it any ventriloquist can! (I don't know about magicians....)

Steve, does this have a hard drive? It had a memory card so it's easy to see how you can add new material later. The set up time took about 60 seconds. Just set up the very sturdy tripod, insert the perch, and place the toucan on top. Voila! I actually set it up early and put it on the stage with a black cloth over the colorful beak and chest. That is its "sleeping hood" so once the cloth is removed he comes to life.

The skunk picked up the most odors. Oops. I mean, orders. Three people walked away with a sweet smelling deal.

Someone asked for tips on handling the Bassett Hound.
A. Focus the face toward the audience as the jowls will hide much of the mouth movement if he is facing you.
B. Support with the left hand and you can use your thumb to move his right paw while using the string (between two fingers) to wiggle the tail in plain sight on the right. It looks like you're scratching him and he likes it. Add a howl of pleasure.
C. Keep the head tilted down more than normal so the eyes can be seen over his nose.
"I bought a flea collar, but I can't get those fleas to sit still long enough to put it on them!"
D. Practice doing a "helicopter imitation" by flipping the ear(s) around his head.
E. Put velcro buttons on each year and when you first bring him out he can be hiding his eyes with his ears. You'll have to think of the reason.

I saw a skunk dressed as a Southern Belle, a dolphin with a lei, a gator dressed as a king with robe and crown, and several others "floating" around during the week. Costuming makes yours very unique.

Here is Tony Borders performing at IFEST with Gladly the Cross Eyed Bear (think about it) ....an outstanding job.

http://www.new.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=62267230650

Ax

I would have to go to Roget's Thesauras to find more superlatives!
Unfortunately I live out in the rhubarb with only dial up so I cannot view movies. It works one frame at a time and it takes about 2 hours to download 5 minutes. Yet I saw the first frame of Tony's performance and it was such a strong start!
In the words of media guru, Dan Rather,
Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic."

Remember to watch with the sound only and with the video only to critique what you see. Is the puppet dying (video). Are the pauses sufficient? Are the voices distinct?

Here's my own critique of myself on that video.
1. The shirt makes me look heavier than I am. No, really!
2. I need to open the puppets mouth much wider.
3. I need to turn the puppet toward my right more often for that part of the audience.
4. My voice and the puppet's voice are at the same speed. I need to change his speed to help the distinction.

One last thought. If you watch without sound and there is a lot of audience laughter then the pauses will look too long. But they may be there for the laughter. I once had a video that only taped me. It looked like I kept forgetting the next line, when really I was giving the audience a chance to laugh.

What kind of PA system did you use for the mixed messages(payback for the fringe audience)?
Tony, in a previous message you wrote, "Your outfit needs to be comfortable, but showy." Yet in today's message you indicated, " The shirt makes me look heavier than I am. No, really!" When you suggested "showy" do you mean like a shirt from Hawaii 50? How showy do you get for Christian appearances?
So I'm asking what is your rule for costume at a vent event? And finally did your brother-in-law notice that you had borrowed his shirt?

While visiting a country school, the chairman of the Board Of Education became provoked at the noise the unruly students were making in the next room. Angrily, he opened the door and grabbed one of the taller boys who seemed to be doing most of the talking. He dragged the boy to the next room and stood him in the corner.
A few minutes later, a small boy stuck his head in the room and pleaded,
"Please, sir, may we have our teacher back?"

I used to have a set of Tuxedos. (Mr. Quayle, should that be tuxedoes?) But, when I moved to California they were much too hot! You may have noticed that my backdrop had palm trees in the video, thus the Hawaiian shirt. I also use it for my bug show, but I started tucking it in after seeing it on video!

There are some fabulous comfortable shirts available at Macy's. In California I can get by with The Mountain t-shirts for some shows for kids. (Do a search online for The Mountain t-shirts. They are great!) For family shows I often wear a tuxedo type vest with a nice shirt in the winter and a knit shirt with homemade vests for the rest of the year. I have a lot of different shirts. I only wear black pants and shoes, making it easy to pack for road trips. My shoes are walking shoes.

Having said this, I do advise that your shirt be showy but that you can also go to a restaurant afterward in the same shirt. I have a great animal shirt for many programs and after the show I still wear it. I almost always get a comment on how nice it looks and I can say, "Thanks! These are my work clothes. I'm a ventriloquist."

I once told a class of ventriloquists that they should dress a little better than everyone else there. Someone said, "What if you do a wedding?" I said, "You'll have to spill something on the bride."

What kind of PA system did you use for the mixed messages(payback for the fringe audience)? Whatever system you have PROBABLY has a line out. That can lead directly to the system used by the rest of the folks and still be controlled by you. I rarely bother with this, BUT often wish I had. My goal for outdoor events is to be able to set up and tear down in the minimal amount of time. (Avoiding angry mobs.)

I thought Tony was putting me on when he asked me what PA I used for the people on the edge of the crowd. I was talking about the little fringe on the perimeter of my vent stand.
He got me!!.It was a fastball. He didn't get it or he's fanned me with his police pitch(the fuzz ball). I am so confoozed .
I hereby surrender.
His homily on vent dress was most informative and well appreciated. One question..where did he buy just a tuxedo vest? I will now shave and return to bed.

Now I get it. (I think.) Only Horton would have heard that one coming. (to which the crowd says, Who?)

You get a tuxedo vest at a tuxedo store. I know, I know. Most have cumberbums (sp?), but there are many really nice vests available. They often rent them out for proms and weddings and then have a rack of last year's seasons. The ones I used to own, which somehow shrunk in my closet, were from the early 80's. One was Robin's Egg blue with the frilly shirts. (Think Austin Powers). Another was an almost neon green, though the shirt was white and non-frilly. A third was tan with dark brown trim on the wide lapels. I donated them to Good Will. I saw an identical one last year for rent at a Halloween store. (No kidding!) I think mine were shipped to Canada where they would be appreciated.

Hey Tony, excellent routine! Really enjoyed your very natural perfromance style. As for the shirt making you look heavier, they must be making them that way now because I've got a few of those too.

I like your self-critique points as well! You are certainly a pro. I agree, those adjustments would each sharpen the performance. As for the voice comment; yes your voices were about the same speed but in my opinion that pace works well for the bear character! Would you consider altering your own delivery? Pete Michaels gave me a useful tip that he credited to Bergen: with a lower pitch character voice, pitch your own voice a bit higher than normal and vica-versa. It's just another way to heighten the contrast.

You are a talented and appealing performer.

Nice work.

RE:critique: The president of the Long Island puppet guild attended a performance of my "Bugs on Board" show last night. After telling me how much he and the whole audience loved the show, we sat down and he offered me some very useful (specific) critque on one of the puppet segments I performed. Good critique is GOLD.

Steve, I too like the bear's voice, but I thought it would be better to change him than myself forrtwo reasons:
1. It's very difficult to change one's own voice while concentrating on so many things.
2. The bear is more difficult to understand so slowing him down even more would make it easier for the audience to understand him.

My wife says that I have a tendency to go too fast on my memorized scripts, even though I normally talk at the speed of Mr. Rogers.

I saw your "Bugs on Board" video on youtube. May I ask how you made the sign that said, Danger- (I forget what was also on there.) It looked great!

I like the pitch and character but I would slow him down. Make it seem like he has to really think to have a comeback, or to show a thought process taking place.

Steve..may I please practice my only mentalism effect? Thanks, you have long hair and an almost-New York state accent.(Tony, I heard you saying the rosary,praying for a drug-free North America!)
Steve, when I got through Canada Customs I lowered the pitch on my Old Macdonald. Eureka I dashed up to the house from the creek where I had been having my bath and said I need some words to avoid an incomplete sentence.
You see my Walter Brennan(listen to how I say Amos McCoy) and Monsieur Quebecois(Jean Marie and Jean Luc were going duck hunting) are really my only two voices which I alter to suit the occasion.
Now in the community of vents(if I compare our group to an old time Third World village) I am the blessed by God, drooling fool who is allowed to wander about the property babbling a mishmash of world religions and socialism.As Mom would say,"God bless the mark"
Yet at the recent Fest-and in particular at the workshop hosted by Gary Owens(used to have a real job in radio and Mark Wade(used to have a real job as a primary school teacher)I discovered I had my own unique vocal ammo. To my amazement I learned that many people in the room including Pete Michaels and many of the vent convention staff did not have singing falsetto or ballsy bass voices and thus also could not yodel. My point(to use a pentacostalist term) is that many people have grown to their 50's or more and have not since childhood been obsessed with vocal tricks. My point is that we newcomers, with some brain-rewinding, might discover we have vocal effects which we thought were just childhood tricks. I.E.-I thought every kid had grown up doing a professional, singing auctioneer cadence or could sing most songs in Pig Latin. As an inexperienced supply teacher I( in deep desperation) found these lessons would enthrall many elementary classes and provide a curse for future instructors.I digress. Tony,by the way what is Eye Fest?

Ron, you found that you have hidden talents. I have also been told that my talents are well hidden. Terry Fator said that he grew up thinking that everyone learned to sing by imitating other singers.

In the book "The Millionare Next Door" they say mention auctioneers as unexpected millionaires.

Dennis Lee has a great routine where he just uses multiple voices (without a puppet) to demonstrate how he practised as a child. He imitates his older brother, grandma, and a little child. Very funny stuff.

You asked about I-Fest. It stands for International Festival of Christian Puppetry and Ventriloquism. It tends to happen the week prior to Vent Haven. I have been there 9 times and can't really afford to take off a second week from work to go to Vent Haven.

Forgive me Tony. I don't know why, but I assumed you were going to speed up the bear. Going back and reading your post, it's a mystery why I thought that. I have had friends from Australia visiting and the numerous discussions of which way the water spins down the drain have infected my thought process or maybe it's because I'm left handed and drive mostly in reverse.

RE:The "Danger - Hungry Termite" sign.

I just designed and printed it from my computer, glued to posterboard then folded it to hang on the front of Clint Eatswood's stand.