MICHAEL BROSE:
Having Trouble Finding
A Partner for Your Act?
Then Build Your Own

by Joanne Johnson / Humor Editor T a l k i n g C o m e d y . c o m

  Ahhhh, the golden days of comedy duos … the days of Laurel and Hardy, Abott and Costello, Martin and Lewis, the Smothers Brothers, Nichols and May, Stiller and Meara … the list went on and on. But lets face it folks if you want to see a live performance by a comedy duo these days you don’t have many choices … the new generation of comics just aren’t bothering to even try to keep that classic art form alive. But have no fear comedy lovers … there are still two person comedy acts to be found ... even if one of those persons is … well … a dummy! No I’m not talking about playing the fool to a comedy straight man I’m talking an actual dummy … or as the ventriloquism community prefers to call them … a ventriloquist figure.

Yes, ventriloquism is keeping the art of the two person comedy team alive today. And if you’d like to do your part to help then the first step is to find the perfect partner. Not so easy … though … is it … well then may we suggest that if you can’t find him … build him! We spoke to Michael Brose, author of "Figure Making Can Be Fun" in hopes of finding out just how to build the perfect comedy partner.

"When I was a kid, watching a small black and white TV in my parents living room," relates author and vent figure maker Mike Brose, "one of my earliest recollections of ventriloquism was seeing Jimmy Nelson with his way cool ventriloquist figures Danny O'Day and Farfel (Frank Marshall creations)." It was then that Michael Brose’s burning interest in ventriloquism was born. "That was a real spark," confesses Brose, "I was hooked."

Brose’s early interests in ventriloquism went beyond enjoying watching ventriloquists perform … even beyond trying to teach himself how to speak without moving his lips. By the age of eleven Brose had branched out into trying to build his own ventriloquist dummies. And although there were books to be found on how to throw your voice there were no books Brose could find that covered what he needed to know to build his own dummy. Brose can even recall having dreams about it as a kid at night, "I'd be out shopping with my folks," says Brose of his recurring dreams, "and we’d stumble upon a shop that sold dummy parts! I'd wake up and be really disappointed because it was only a dream."

For all his searching, while growing up, Brose never found either the book or the ready made parts he longed for. Even though his search proved unfruitful it led him to writing a book of his own … a book for all the children today who, like him, are searching ... and … for all the adults who, after all these years, haven’t given up on their childhood search. "I figured that if I had this intense interest in these things, there must be others. I wanted to provide the information that I had always wished was available when I was a kid. I wanted to help others by sharing the information that had taken me years to gather.”

So Brose wrote in his spare time … a few paragraphs here … a few paragraphs there. He spent seven years working on the book at that pace, all the time knowing there wouldn’t be a tremendous market for it. "I know it's a huge cliche to say this, but it really was a 'labor of love'," admits Brose. "I certainly would have picked a different subject if money or notoriety were the main objective. I mostly wrote it for those who shared this unique interest, and who would appreciate having the information easily available.”

Brose says that although a number of people would like to learn mold making and casting — all of which is covered in great detail in the chapters of his book — quite a few more would prefer having most of that already done for them. So nearly a decade before he published his book on vent figure making Brose was fulfilling another boyhood dream of his … making unfinished ventriloquist figure parts available to the general public. "The ready made cast parts that we make…" Brose says that his wife has been involved along with him in the pursuit of his vent making passions. "The parts that we make cut the potential for failure way down. Mold making and casting take time to learn.”

"Having the parts already cast is more than half the battle done successfully. Learning to do simple mechanics on a first figure is not all that hard," says Brose. "There is a lot of help in my book and quite a bit of good free info on our web site." ( www.puppetsandprops.com ) Still some beginners are frightened to take the plunge into figure making for fear they will fail. "If one is feeling a little overwhelmed or unsure," says Brose, "they can use the info and pictures Al Stevens has provided, to see exactly how someone else has done it." ( www.alstevens.com/ventriloquism/fred.html ) Al Stevens has devoted a whole section of his web site to the step-by-step making of a ventriloquist figure using Brose casts parts. Being able to follow along, every step of the way, as someone else puts together a vent figure is often very comforting and confidence building to the first time figure maker. "I know some who, prior to purchasing the dummy parts, were unsure if they could do this or not," confides Brose. "I have directed them to Al's site to get a taste of what it's all about. Many have told me that it gave them the confidence that they could do it too!"

Brose also stresses that it’s important for beginners to start small and work up to more complicated projects. "I have many people contact me, and they want their first figure to be the best, with moving eyes, winkers, raising eyebrows, flapping ears, sticking out tongue … or in other words, 'the works!' I usually tell them it would be better to start out simple — moving eyes, mouth and maybe eyebrows — for their first figure. And then try other animations on their next attempt. It's not always what they want to hear of course," confesses Brose with a chuckle. "It's human nature, I guess, to want to run with something right away. But, my suggestion to start out simple is good general advice. It helps keep frustration to a reasonable level." Of course beginners can take into consideration their backgrounds. If the have been working with mechanical objects for years in other capacities then they may be up to taking on more difficult figure making animations on their first try. "I've had some customers do some pretty amazing things on their very first figure. They have pleasantly surprised me!”

In the opening of author Michael Brose’s book "Figure Making Can Be Fun" he introduces himself to his readers and then admits that he enjoys making ventriloquist figures and that … "the first step to getting treatment … is admitting that one has a problem (tongue planted firmly in cheek)!" Well he may kid about getting treatment but it is clear, when talking to Mike Brose, that this is one addiction he has no desire to overcome anytime in the near future. "Most figure makers who have been bitten by the figure making bug have been bitten … and bitten hard!" believes Brose. And whether they be hobbyists or professionals … "The majority never seem to recover."

Brose feels the best is still to come ... so why would he want to recover from an ‘addiction’ that doesn’t seem to have any negative side effects. In fact, the only bad thing Brose can think of that has come from having caught the figure making bug, himself, is that there isn’t enough time to do all the things he’d like to do. "I wish I could clone myself. There are so many things I yet want to do, but, alas, there are only so many hours in a day. But, hey, if that’s the worst … I really don’t have reason to complain now, do I? It’s been a very good thing for me. I hope a cure is never found. Doing the kind of work I do and love, has been a childhood dream come true for me."

"It's funny … I just got a very nice e-mail from none other than Jimmy Nelson in regard to my book," says Brose, who included several pictures of Nelson in "Figure Making Can Be Fun". "It's really amazing to me how things come around full circle … When you connect again with those who inspired you in the first place … Now that's serendipity!"

Michael Brose's ‘Figure Making Can Be Fun?!?: A Complete Guide to Making a Professional Ventriloquist Figure’ is available through Michael Brose's web site (www.puppetsandprops.com/DummyBooks.html).
You can also order Brose's ventriloquist figure parts at the site above. Plans are in the works to offer a variety of style heads in the future.

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