Instructional Videos
Steve teaches a selection of subjects to enhance your vision and puppetry performance
Topic specific instruction with examples from live footage help you apply each idea to your shows
For anyone from beginner to experienced
Over an hour of teaching:
Puppetry Power Tools
Arguing with Pastry
Becoming Your Own M.C.
Triangle of Power
Facts to Fun & Twister
Turning a Running Gag Into a Galloping Gag
Portions of this material have appeared in Steve’s video column in the IVS Spotlight
Become a BIGGER SHOW with…
The Lecture Video by STEVE PETRA
All New Concepts shared by One of the Big Brains of the Stage!
LET’S BUILD A SHOW by Steve Petra
Amazing concepts that help you with ANY live performance!
Let’s Build A Show!
Audience Connections
Staying in Control
Casting & Structure
Narrative Elements
Conceptual Elasticity
Edit, Don’t Spread It
The Finale
“I just received a college degree in building a show. I didn’t have to sit in a stuffy classroom or spend an entire semester. I spent 90 minutes watching Steve Petra’s ‘Let’s Build A Show the Whole Show!’ I should have paid a minimum of $1000 for this content but, thankfully, Steve made it affordable for the uneducated like me. ‘Highly recommended,’ is the world’s greatest understatement.”
Take your Kidshow & Family Entertainment to the next level and add huge visual impact!
Axtell Power User Steve Petra reveals some powerful concepts and delivers each point with tons of examples.
Performances in front of live audiences mixed with studio segments explaining
Steve’s techniques and puppet modifications with Axtell Puppets & More!
Visual Routines
Using Your Other Hand
Visual Running Gags
Comedy Headgear
Steve’s Performance Ingredients
& Bonus Material
Nearly and Hour & a half of Visual Instruction
“You dont get a crash course on how to do ventriloquism, or how to manipulate puppets. Instead Steve goes straight to the heart and concentrates on what makes routines with puppets entertaining.
He explains the eight elements that make his shows a success. He describes each one in detail, sharing what he calls the ingredients to Visual Puppet Gumbo. Using these ingredients keeps the audience involved the whole way through, which is essential for any entertainer, not just the ones with puppets.
Each ingredient is road tested through a series of 6 puppet routines, all filmed in front of a live audience. You get to see for yourself how his theory works, and begin to get a sense of how it could make a difference to your own performance. The routines feature characters that are instantly entertaining, and routines so visual you darent take your eyes off through fear of missing something….” Karl Jeffery
Back to the Future Bookings with Magic Dave
Do you want more bookings? Of course you do!, lets get people talking about your show, and make you the entertainer of choice in your area.
In this new DVD see Magic Dave (Dave Allen) performing all new Magic, Puppet Routines and illusions from his Children’s and Family Shows!
Magic Dave will also give you a complete walkthrough of all his equipment used in the show and why!
Dave shares the secrets of his office, and how he deals with customer enquiry’s, taking payments, sending contracts, taking calls,
adding music to your show and how he does it, tips on marketing and self promotion, and much more.
Many have told Magic Dave that his previous DVDs had inspired them to get into children and family entertainment, or to change the way they worked. BACK TO THE FUTURE BUSINESS $49.95 plus shipping
Bob Rumba “CHOICES OF VOICES!”
NEW! Learn Professional Character Voice Techniques from the Pro!
2 Workshops on one DVD! Plus BONUS FEATURES!
Bob Rumba’s Choices of Voices
Master impressionist, voice over talent, character voice creator extraordinaire, ventriloquist, highly in demand balloon creative artist and actor, Bob Rumba, has been honing his craft nearly his entire life.
He has worked with Tony Bennett, Tom Jones, Barbara Mandrell, Oprah, Hanna Barbara, Neil Sedaka, Frank Sinatra, Steve Allen, Carl Reiner, Emo Phillips, Judy Tenuta, Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones of the Monkees.
Now let Bob help you with his forte – creating character voices – in this nearly 2 hour video “Choices of Voices.” Recorded live in front of two standing room only workshops at the 2015 Vent Haven International Ventriloquist ConVENTion.
Having problems coming up with voices for your characters? Not anymore!
Bob shows you his secret weapon way to warm up your throat, his never before revealed method of creating 6 different character voices from one initial voice. And so much more.
The most fun and valuable content of this video is when Bob borrows puppets from audience members and helps them create a voice for their character. Priceless and hilarious!
Note: this video is not just for ventriloquists! It’s for all people who work in front of a crowd. From magicians, to emcees, to public speakers who want to add something different to their presentation, to comics to sales presenters!
Order CHOICES OF VOICES $39.95 plus shipping
VENTRILOQUISM FOR COMEDY CLUBS
(Some Mature Content)
In the first ever teaching DVD from Talk For Two,
Celebrity Ventriloquist Pete Michaels shares the secrets to success in the Comedy Club market.
Pete invites Matt Bailey into his home to share with you:
-The Kind of Material Appropriate for Comedy Clubs
-How to Book Comedy Clubs
-The Difference Between Comedy Clubs & Other Gigs
PLUS-See exactly how Pete sets up on a comedy club stage.
AND- You‘ll get to see a master at work in a clip from Comedy at Club 54.
This one-of-a-kind resource teaches you the REAL WORK on being a professional ventriloquist.
Order Vent for Comedy Clubs Only $35.00
SPANISH! BEGINNING VENTRILOQUISM with Yoly Pacheco!
-Como hablar sin mover los labios
-Letras difíciles de decir y sus substitutos
-Creando voces diferentes para tus títeres
-Como darle vida a tu títere
-Y mucho mas!
Incluye una entrevista exclusiva con el reconocido Ventrílocuo Sammy King
que tiene mas de 50 años de experiencia, y se ha presentado en grandes plataformas alrededor del mundo.
Duración: 36 min
YOLY Beginning Vent in Spnish DVD $20
The Magic of Puppets – Double DVD Set… To watch extracts from these DVDs Click here.
Always wanted to include puppets in your show, and don’t know where to begin?
Afraid that you can’t learn ventriloquism? Got a puppet and don’t know what to do with it?
Want to do some magic with your puppet? If the answer to any of the above is Yes, you need The Magic of Puppets!
· Watch a LIVE puppet show by Axtell Power User Colin Dymond along with Jeremey Le Poidevin!
The warm-up, the magic and the fun!
· See a puppet magically printing a birthday card!
· Listen to the reaction as a dog eats some hankies!
· Find out how the tricks are done.
· Learn how to go about choosing a puppet: what to look for and what to avoid!
· Get advice on arm puppets vs. hand puppets. What’s the difference?
· How to hold a puppet – and how not to!
· See a wide range of ‘staging’ for a puppet – from simple to advanced.
· Learn how to make a puppet show emotions. It’s easy and fun!
· Want to include sound without ventriloquism? We’ll show you how!
· See demonstrations of lots of other magic props you can use.
It’s all here on 2 DVDs crammed with advice, tips and ideas! Puppets ARE magic!
Approx. total running time: 145 mins.
PUNCH!
DVD & Booklet
Six Sure-Fire Techniques To Add Punch To Your Comedy Material
by Tom Ladshaw
This DVD & booklet teaches you 6 specific techniques that will help make your show funnier.. to take your routine from “chucklesville” to “guffawtown.”Let’s face it, one of the hardest things about putting together a routine is making it truly funny. You end up settling for “cute” bits to fill out your routine, but don’t really get “rolling in the aisles” laughter from your audiences. This is HARD TO GET powerful comedy information!
In PUNCH!, TOM LADSHAW has concisely explained these 6 techniques, the theory behind why they work and actual examples.
These are the same methods today’s top comedy pros use to make their acts funny.
If you want to create original material, or add more zing to your existing material, Tom’s new DVD & Booklet will enable you to quickly and easily add PUNCH to your comedy. Introduction by “Super Dave Osborne.”
PUNCH Booklet & DVD $34.95
Video (DVD) Course in Ventriloquism by Steve Taylor Instructional DVD's
“ACCESSORIZING YOUR DUMMY” For every ventriloquist who wants to become more professional this covers EVERYTHING except using the puppet in your show. Set up, staging, backdrops, cases, working from one case to another….very important information you cannot find anywhere else! Get this great DVD for $34.95. 2 hours packed with info!
“MANIPULATING YOUR DUMMY (OR PUPPET)” 65 minute DVD teaching eight easy steps to make your vent figures & soft puppets “come alive” using manipulation. Each step illustrated with video clips of Edgar Bergen, Paul Winchell, Mark Wade, etc.
$29.95 plus shipping.
“HUMORING YOUR DUMMY (or Puppet)” For everyone who wants to be more funny with their vent routines. 60 minutes of hilarious instruction on one broadcast-quality DVD. Learn the 12 Ways To Be A Funny Ventriloquist, Dramatic Structure, Conflict and Character Differences. Each principle taught is illustrated with a video clip of ventriloquists Jim Adams, Mark Wade, Mark Thompson and Gene Cordova! Youll watch it again & again! A SELL-OUT at the Vent Haven Convention.
$29.95 plus shipping
“FOOLING YOUR DUMMY” BRAND NEW! Add some MAGIC to your ACT! Have you ever wanted to do magic with your ventriloquist figure? Now you can learn how! Using actual performance footage, this 60 minute video teaches you Steve’s own favorite magic-ventriloquism routines, plus scores of other magical effects that your dummy can do with or without you! The Spot Can, Axtell’s Magic Drawing Board, Dummy Mentalist, Drinking Liquids While Singing, plus much, much, more! A Best-Seller at the 2004 Vent Haven ConVENTion! Available on DVD
$29.95 plus shipping.
Mark Thompson's You Can be a Ventriloquist!
Beginning and Advanced Videos:
Get both for outstanding instruction!
Volume One- A Beginning Course -Talking without your lips -Creating amusing voices -Realistic puppet movement -Character development -Acting out a comedy skit
DVD $29.95
Volume Two- An Advanced Course – Distant and muffled voice – Multiple figure manipulation – Dual personality separation – Act development – Performance techniques.
DVD $29.95
