How to write scripts for your puppet shows

Master the art of writing exciting scripts for your puppet shows. Here are some of the best ideas that would help you write a great script for your shows.
In a ventriloquist act, a comedian uses a puppet, often referred to as a ventriloquist dummy, as a prop to perform a routine. Ventriloquism is all about creating an illusion, the more powerful the illusion, the better the show. A talented ventriloquist is able to control his lips while he talks to create the illusion that the sound is actually coming from the puppet's mouth. Typically a ventriloquist act is a solo act, so you need a lot of planning and practice before you go out on stage, because there won't be other performers for you to depend on. The script for your puppet show or ventriloquist act is going to play a vital role in making your performance a success.
Create a name and character for your ventriloquist dummy. Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen became famous for his dummy, "Charlie McCarthy". Similarly, Nina Conti, another ventriloquist is well known for her shows involving a monkey puppet. In many ventriloquist acts, the relationship between comedian and dummy is somewhat adversarial, allowing for some jokes made by the dummy at the ventriloquist's expense.

For complete article please go to : How to write scripts for your puppet shows

Puppet script (A dog, Elephant and the King)

Hi everyone,
I would like to share this puppet script with you, a nice story about a dog and elephant and their friendship. Hope you would like it :)

Characters:

• Narrator
• Dog
• Elephant
• Elephant-Keeper
• King
• Minister

SCRIPT:

Narrator: Once upon a time, there was a royal elephant that lived in the premises of the king’s palace. The elephant was very dear to the king, so he was cared, well-fed and well-treated. There was a Dog who used to live in the neighborhood of the Elephant shed. He was very weak and skinny. He was always fascinated by the smell of the rich sweet rice being fed to the royal elephant.

Dog: Wow, I love that rich aroma of the rice. I can not resist that smell! I will get into the Elephant´s Shed and eat the sweet rice that falls from the Elephant´s mouth.

Narrator: And so he did.

Dog: I will start coming daily to eat the rice. Anyway, the elephant hasn´t even notice me, because he´s so busy enjoying his delicious food.

Narrator: The Dog became bigger and stronger by eating such rich food. He came under the notice of the Elephant.

Elephant: Who are you? How long have you been here?

Dog: Hmmmm I just got here.

Elephant: I can share my food with you. Would you like some?

Dog: Sure, why not! It looks delicious.

Elephant: It is, wait till you taste this sweet rice. Mmmm it´s so good.

Dog: I can see that.

Narrator: Soon, both of them also started sharing time with each other and soon, they made good friends.

Elephant: Come here everyday to eat, you are my best friend. And you can also stay here to sleep.

Dog: Thank you, I accept your invitation. You are also my best friend.

Narrator: So, they ate together, slept together and played together. They became great friends and didn’t want to get separated from each other. Then one day, a man saw the Dog and asked the Elephant-keeper.

Man: I want to buy this Dog. What price do you want for the Dog?

Elephant-keeper: The dog is not mine, but I will sell it to you.

Man: It´s a deal.

Narrator: The man took the dog to his home village, which was quite far away.

Elephant: I am very sad, my dear friend is gone. I miss him so much. I don´t want to eat anymore. I don´t want to do anything.

Narrator: The Elephant-keeper reported this to the King, but he didn’t say anything about the Dog.

King: I´ll see what I can do. Minister! Come this instant.

Minister: Yes, my king. What can I do for you?

King: Go to the Elephant shed and find out the reason for the Elephant’s condition.

Minister: Right this instant, my king.

Narrator: The intelligent minister went to the Elephant shed and found the Elephant very sad. He looked the Elephant all over and asked the Elephant-keeper.

Minister: There is nothing wrong with this Elephant’s body, then why does he look so sad? I think he is sad possibly due to the loss of a dear friend. Do you know if this Elephant shared a close friendship with anyone?

The Elephant-keeper: There was a Dog who used to eat, sleep and play with the Elephant. He has been taken by a stranger three days ago.

Minister: Where is the Dog?

Elephant-keeper: I don’t know.

Narrator: The minister went back to the King and said.

Minister: Your majesty, in my opinion, the royal Elephant is not sick, but he is lonesome without his dear friend, the Dog.

King: You’re right, friendship is one of the most wonderful things of life. Do you know where that Dog is?

Minister: Elephant-keeper has informed that a stranger took him away and he didn’t know about his whereabouts.

King: How can we bring back my Elephant’s friend and make him happy again?

Minister: Your Majesty, make a declaration, that whoever has the dog that used to live at the royal Elephant’s shed will be penalized.

Narrator: The King did the same and the man who took the dog, instantly turned him loose when he heard the proclamation. When the Dog got free, he ran back as fast as he could to reach the Elephant’s shed.

Elephant: Oh I am so delighted to see you!

Dog: Me too. I missed you so much. You are my only friend.

Narrator: The elephant picked his friend with his trunk and made him sit on his head. The Dog waved his tail, while the Elephant’s eyes sparkled with happiness.

King: I am glad to see that the Elephant is happy once again. Minister, you will be rewarded for your wise judgment.

Narrator: And both, the Elephant and the Dog lived happily thereafter.

The End

8 things you must know as a ventriloquist

Ventriloquism is one of the most ancient forms of entertainment which in its contemporary presentation continues to captivate and entertain modern audiences throughout the world.


Ventriloquism is an illusion; a very enjoyable, harmless illusion. Everyone knows that a little puppet can’t talk by himself. When it is alone it is nothing more than pieces of fabric and wood. But, in your hands, smiling up at you with it’s bright painted smile, and looking all around tossing wise-cracks at the audience, it will be seen as a very cute and ALIVE personality. This is because you are lending the puppet your voice, your spirit, and your wit, Your vent partner will become one of your best friends...your faithful pal.



Magic and ventriloquism have similarities. Ventriloquism is to the ear what magic is to the eye. The illusion of magic is made possible because "the hand is quicker than the eye." Both art forms are made possible
through misdirection.



The human ear has difficulty judging accurately the direction of sound. Knowing this fact, the ventriloquist furthers the illusion with some act, word, or gesture that directs the attention of his audience to the place from which he wants them to believe the sound was produced. It’s all very convincing and believable to the listener and some will even argue that they actually heard the voice come from the puppet’s mouth! You, however, know the truth - the voice cannot be actually thrown to some point apart from yourself.



Ventriloquism has always been a mysterious and fascinating ART. History records the art being practiced centuries ago in the ancient temples and places of religious worship. Some ventriloquist historians feel the Old Testament account of the Witch of Endor involves the ancient practice of ventriloquism.



Most people think the ventriloquist has a throat or voice box that is capable of doing something that ordinary people are unable to do. While this is not true, it has certainly helped keep the secret of the art from being learned by more than just a select few people.



Like any other art or subject that requires study and practice for accomplishment, so does the art of ventriloquism. The student must have a very sincere desire to learn and dedication to the task. You will need to give these lessons and their instructions your focused thought and undivided attention. It is extremely important that you do the exercises as directed. This will be a team effort with you doing your part while we assist as needed to insure your success.



When the Ventriloquist holds the vent figure (dummy) on his knee or lap, or has placed it on a vent stand next to himself and makes it appear and sound as though the figure is alive, this is called "NEAR Ventriloquism." But if the ventriloquist is standing on one side of the stage and makes it sound as if the figure is calling from its suitcase which is sitting on the far opposite side of the stage, this is called "DISTANT Ventriloquism.

Courtesy: Maher Ventriloquist Course
Link: http://mahercourse.blogspot.com/

10 Great tips for a clown show

10 Commandments Of Using Pinterest

Pinterest is getting more and more popular, I shared a post about pinterest few weeks ago, this is the second one in the series. I would recommend pinterest to all especially entertainers.
So here are 10 commandments of using pinterest

10 commandments of pinterest

5 Great tips for a live magic show

Hi everyone!

As a performer I strongly feel that magicians are an important part of our community. Today I would like to share some helpful tips for a live magic show with you. A friend of mine, who is a magician himself, helped me write this post:

Practice as much as you can. Believe me, this is the main key to success. Practice helps makes your tricks polished, flawless and perfect in front of your audience. It doesn't matter how difficult a trick is, all that matters is how perfectly you executed it in front of your audience, something that can only be achieved through constant practice.

Keep your eyes on the audience. Keeping your eyes on your cards or props the entire time will not make a good impression on your audience. Keeping eye contact will help you understand your audience.

However don't just look at your audience the entire time, interact with them while you perform. Try to start a conversation and keep them engaged, make them a part of your act by asking for volunteers. Again this is something that can only come through practice and experience.

Try to create and maintain a sequence in your performance. Your tricks must be structured, where one trick would lead to another and so on. You can achieve this through the usage of a story or theme. Saving your best tricks for the end of the show is also a great idea.

Keep the anticipation alive. Always give the impression that something even greater is coming next. This helps you prevent anticlimax in your shows and keeps the audience on their feet, eagerly anticipating the next trick.

Illusion, distraction and misdirection are your best friends. They are as much a part of a magician's tools as his/her props are. If employed properly they will give your performance that final push towards perfection.

Please give your feedback :) 

7 Great tips for a live puppet show

Hi there! Today I am going to give you some great tips I have learned from my experience about throwing a great live puppet show. Live shows are great, you have the flexibility of adjusting your content and length of your show and you have the option of communicating with your audience and responding to them.
Okay, lets get back to the "tips"and here are few tips I have used to improve my shows.

 Memorize your script. That is a must, the worst thing you can do in a show is forget your lines and end up saying something you should never or read a script during your performance. Memorize the script well and you will be breathing life into your puppet.
Memorizing a script can be tricky at times. I usually create a bullet list of important things and this always works for me. It allows me in moving from one point to other without forgetting important lines I have to use.
At times a routine is still difficult even if I make bullet points out of it, in that case I rewrite it. Works for me, may be would go fine with you as well. Give it a try. Rewrite it and make it comfortable for yourself.

Always be mindful of your audience. I always rewrite and modify my routines to suit my audience. A good routine can be rewritten to suit any age group. Something funny for a preschooler might be boring and dull for the 5th or 6th grader and vice virsa.

I always try to turn my routines to real conversations. Do not perform your skit word to word, practice it as if it is a real conversation and engage your audience. Ask your audience to repeat your words, or ask them interesting questions.

Know your audience, each one of the crowd has a personality and is unique in his own way. Quickly identify their personality and you would be better positioned to get their attention. 

Develop a personality for your puppet, ask yourself questions like How old is he?, Where is he from? What accent he has? his family, friends, birthday etc.

Make your transitions perfect. A good transition helps the audience move along with you and understand the message you are trying to convey.

Last but not the least, always remember, puppetry is an art that involves discipline, great stage presence, enthusiasm and perfect timing. Practice is the key to success. You can use these tips to enhance your performances, with a little extra degree of effort and hardwork you will soon become a pro :)

Good luck for your shows! :)

5 best tips for an awesome school assembly performance

Hi everyone!

Today I am going to tell you about how to have a great school assembly performance.

School assemblies are an effective way to communicate ideas and induce a learning spirit in children. They are also a great way to incorporate a learning aspect to an entertainment. School assemblies are great for performers because they give you great exposure. You know your audience and their age group before you go into perform and so you get a better chance of preparing and planning your show. For some performers it becomes a bit difficult to perform at school assemblies and today I would like to share my own personal experiences with you and how I make my school assembly performances a great success.

Here are 5 best tips that would help you have a great performance at school assembly.

1. Get their attention, unless you have full attention of your audience you can not take them along on the fun journey and soon they would lose interest.
2. Getting their attention is one thing, keeping it is another. As any parent, guardian, or teacher will tell you, children of all ages have short attention spans. The assembly should have content that appeals to that adrenaline-filled spirit in children. If it does, they'll be on the edge of their seats.
3. Always be mindful of the time. You have limited amount of time, manage it purposefully and wisely. You must let your audience get the most out of it.
4. Your performance must have a message at the end, no matter how engaged a student becomes, he or she must also be learning. This is paramount to any good assembly program. Make sure at the end children are going to learn something very useful and practical from your performance.
5. Use TV shows, drama and magic tricks to entertain your audience and keep them focused.

 

A Suggestion for entertainers and performers

I just found this great resource for promoting your business as a performer. Over the past couple of months I have received numerous bookings from this website. I would recommend this to all of those who want to expand their entertainment business.
Here is a link:
http://www.thumbtack.com/welcome?refer=UQ1Hy45APRPX2A

For Ventriloquists:How to find the best voice for your puppet

Hi everyone!
This post is for my ventriloquists friends. Today I am going to help you in finding the best voice for your puppet. While selecting the best voice and personality for your puppet you should consider the following:

Are you comfortable  while using that voice?
How does your throat feel while using that voice?
Would you be able to maintain the voice through out your story?
Can you remember the voice?
Are you audible enough for everyone in the audience while using that voice?
Does it fit your puppet's appearance and character?

If the answer to all the above questions is "YES", then you have found the perfect voice for your puppet! :)

How to make a Dog Balloon

The dog balloon is a fundamental sculpture in the art of balloon twisting and balloon animals. Many animals balloons such as the deer and giraffe are variations on the dog balloon. And you'll find that the basics that you master when twisting a dog balloon, will apply to more difficult balloon sculptures.

Inflate the balloon to about two inches from the end.

Twist three basic balloon twists. The first will be about two inches long, which will form the snout of the dog. The second and third twists will be smaller, about an inch each, to form the dog's ears.

Bring the first, longer twist against the main body of the balloon in preparation for a lock twist.
As mentioned on the last page, the first balloon segment (A), will form the snout of the dog. The second and third twists (B and C), will form the dog's ears. You'll be twisting B and C together while holding (A) and the main body of the balloon to create a lock twist.

Your balloon sculpture should now resemble the head of a dog.

Twist three basic balloon twists, each about three-inches. The first (A) will form the dog's neck. The second and third twists (B and C) will form the dog's front legs.


As you did with the dog's head, create a lock twist by twisting B and C and holding the rest.

Your twisted balloon sculpture should now resemble the front of a dog with its head and front legs.

Twist three basic balloon twists, each about three-inches. The first (A) will form the dog's body. The second and third twists (B and C) will form the dog's back legs. The final balloon segment (D) will form the dog's tail.


As you did with the dog's front legs create a lock twist by twisting segments B and C and holding the rest.

You have now twisted a basic dog balloon animal.

Thanks,
Jungle Joe! :)

How to be funny without telling jokes

Being funny is not about mocking others or being disrespectful. It's about being genuinely humorous and encouraging people to share a laugh together. Having a good sense of humor has many benefits. It helps you see the lighter side of life, it brings happiness to everyone you meet.

1. Think Positive
2. Have a cheerful laugh
3. Be inspired by humor
4. Be confident
5. Think Funny
6. Be Mysterious
7. Be yourself
8. Knowledge
9. Trust your inner sense of humor
10. Get your timing right
11. Read, Read, Read
12. Set the Scene for Laughter
13. Facial Expressions are important
14. Never Give Up

How to achieve your goals as a performer

How to achieve your goals as a performer

Goals and dreams are the two things in life that keep us moving, and every day when we get up give us a reason to work. All of us have goals. Some want to buy a new house, or a new car other want to make more money, start a new business, have the best store at the best location in the best mall. Some want to marry a beautiful girl and have cute kids. Some of us have strange goals like get in shape; lose 20 pounds of weight you have accumulated by spending 20 months! But still they are goals, still they are reasons that keep us going, that keep us motivated. But every one of us has faced that heart breaking moment when we realize we have failed to achieve our goal.

What if you get a mystic power to achieve every goal you can think of! Your life would be so full of surprises and beautiful. But to tell you the truth there is no such thing as that, or a magical power. The key to achieve your goals is planning, learn how to plan and you will learn how to achieve almost any goal.

In the next few minutes I would take you through a very practical and optimized process of selecting goals and how to achieve them.

I put goals in two categories, one is the SMART goals and the other are just goals. For setting the SMART goals you follow a well defined and target oriented approach, and while you set those goals you devise a comprehensive strategy that would be used to achieve those goals. SMART goals are always achievable. From this point onwards I will talk only about the SMART goals not just goals.

How to select your goals?

While setting your goals always keep in mind the SMART rule. Let me tell you what SMART goal is

Specific:

By specific I mean you should make your goals targeted and specific not generic or vague. And then be specific and targeted about achieving those goals.

Measurable:

While setting goals, make goals in such a way that the progress to achieve those goals must be measurable. Set up benchmarks and a criteria to measure your progress. Also set up a conditional that would be indicative of success or failure of your goals.

Achievable:

This is a very important point, set your goals that are achievable. No matter how impossible a goal is, it should be achievable.

Result Oriented:

Your goals should focus on the results. Goals should be result oriented and avoid getting trapped in the cycle of activity. At the end of each goal you should get a clear result.

Time specific:

Make your goals time specific, whenever you set a goal, set a timeline for that goal and a deadline. Once you reach that deadline, the goal would become unachievable and would move out of the category of SMART goals.

Here are some other tips about how you can achieve your goals in your life:

·         Write your goals. People who take the time to write their goals accomplish them more frequently that people who don’t.
Keep your goals with you – in your wallet, on a clipboard, on your screen saver. In this way, they’ll be a constant reminder of what you are going to achieve.

·         List at least one reason you want to achieve each goal. These reasons will help you stay focused when you get tired and frustrated and begin asking yourself questions like “why am I working so hard on this?”

·         Share your goals with people with whom you are close. These folks can be a big help in achieving your goals. Goals become more real when you share them with others. Goals that you don’t share, are merely aspirations.

·         Talk about your goals at social and networking functions. The help you need to achieve one or more of your goals can come from some surprising places. You never know who might be the one person who can offer the assistance it takes for you to get over the top on one or more of your goals.

·         Focus on your goals several times a day. Ask yourself “is what I’m doing right now helping me achieve one of my goals?” If the answer is “no” – stop what you’re doing and do something that will help you reach your goals.

·         Stay balanced by creating goals in all areas of your life: career, business, personal, family, hobbies health. These goals will help guide you to where you want to go.

·         Make sure your goals are congruent with one another. Conflicting goals create undue stress. If you have a work or career goal that is going to take up 60 to 80 hours a week of your time, it will be pretty difficult to realize a goal of running a marathon. You simply won’t have time to train.

·         Consider what you might have to forgo or give up reaching your goals. This could be things like family or hobby time. Ask yourself questions like: “is this goal important enough for me to give up time with my kids, or my weekly yoga class”.

How to become a super productive performer

How to be super productive performer

All of us want to do more in life, get more out of life, have more time and get more done. But the problem is all of us are given equal time each day, that is 24 hours. You have seen performers achieving in one day what you would do in a week. You might also have come across performers who stay busy the whole day, but at the end achieve little and of course you might have come across people who spend just few hours a day and yet get the job done. Do you know what the difference between the two is? It’s productivity!

Productive performers or entertainers always get more out of life, do more in their life, spend less time working and yet get more done. In the next couple of minutes I am going to share with you some great tips to be productive and achieve more in your limited time.

Set goals for yourself

Be very specific about what you want to achieve and set goals for yourself as a performer. Your every objective should be a goal, and then think of a practical and viable strategy to achieve that goal. Keep your goals realistic and constantly compare with the ultimate outcome that you want. To know more about how to achieve your goals read my other article about 

Break your goals to actionable steps

When we talked about goals a moment ago, we talked about the big picture or the ultimate outcome. Now is the step to divide your goals to smaller goals, then the smaller goals further, till each becomes a task or an actionable entity. Here is an example, Your goal is you have to upload a website for your company. Divide it to designing, programming, content writing and uploading. Now you have got actionable items, you have to make a design, then you have to write the code behind the design, next step would be to write content and once all is done then you have to upload the website.

Plan, Plan, Plan

This is one of the most important steps in being ultra productive. Make a plan for your every objective and every goal. Spend as much time as you can on planning about how you are going to achieve your goal or objective. That way when you would start doing a task, everything would be there in front of you and all you would have to do is follow  the plan.

Remove distractions

Find out the distractions that keep you from doing your work. Make a list of them, and set it as a goal for yourself that you have to remove those distractions. Those that can not be removed, learn how to overcome them. Always find the source of distraction and remove that source.

Give yourself motivations

Motivation helps you stay focused and be resilient to increase your productivity. Give yourself short term motivations. Think about going to a show or a concert after your finish a specific task. Mind is a wonderful thing, it’s a whole world within your head, make this world beautiful, give your mind a beautiful place to work in and it would do wonders for you.

Give yourself ideals

Set ideals, love them, praise them, follow them, imitate them, try to walk in their shoes for a moment and think about how they achieved their goals. Anyone can be your ideal, it can be Steve Jobs, or Bill gates or even the guy next door!

Stop multi tasking

Switching from task to task never helps. It has been proven that multitasking decreases your productivity level by about 10 percent. Start a task, and never switch to anything else till you finish it. Doing to many things at a time makes you busy, not productive! There is a huge difference between being busy and being productive

Make a schedule

Make a schedule for yourself, right from the time you get out of bed till the time you go back to sleep. Each and everything must be written, divide your time into sections and allocate each section to a task according to your schedule. Here is another point, if you can not follow your schedule, don’t even bother to make one. If you make a schedule and then don’t follow it, it becomes a distraction and source of low productivity.

Learn when to say NO

Again, this one is extremely important. You must know when you have to say NO. Think about this, you have to make a 500 page report in 24 hours, you start working early in morning, after a couple of hours your friend came and asked you to help him in fixing his car, what would you say ? You might think this guy is like my best friend, I must help him because he need me at this moment, tell you what, this is wrong. This is the time when you should and you must say NO.

Believe in yourself

Self belief is extremely important in productivity. Believing in yourself improves your confidence, boosts your morale, makes your daring and focused. Believe in your abilities and believe in the fact that nothing in this world is impossible. Those who you think are standing at the Mount Everest of success are also humans like you. If they can do it, you can do it too. To clear yourself more, go back to the point where I said give yourself ideals and imitate them.

Learn the difference between busyness and productivity

“It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?" – Henry David Thoreau

Highly productive people are often less busy than those who are overworked and overwhelmed. When you are working don’t look at the clock in front of you, look at the work that lays ahead. Work and work hard, but not to stay busy , work to achieve your goals.

Move from self management to time management

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." – Steve Jobs

Manage yourself first and then think about managing your time.

List your actions

When you start your day, make a list of actions or tasks that you have to do, write anything that comes to your mind. Then prioritize your actions, list the important ones first and follow a descending order. When you are done with your list, allocate time to each according to its importance. Then start from the first and never stop till you nail down the last one. If you can do it in an hour, enjoy the rest of your day, if it takes whole day to complete your list, whole day is what you have to give in to achieve your goal.

Measure, Analyze Enhance

At the end of each day look at your actions and goals. Think about what your achieved and what could not be done. Then think about what stopped you from achieving your goals, think about how to overcome those distractions and obstacles, make a plan to enhance your productivity and when you get up the next day incorporate that plan to your next day’s agenda. At the end of day two again analyze your plan, see if it worked for you, if it worked, make that a habit, if it didn’t work, analyze it again, follow the thinking curve again and tweak your plan to make it perfect.

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