Ventriloquism - East Coast and beyond!

Back on the 7th day of my second run here in Virginia Beach. In between I worked a private corporate event, Knoebels Park in PA. and the Howell Balloon Challenge Festival in Michigan. Its been a lot of driving with some intense overnight jumps and lots of shows.

Had some rough days. The shows started running together and I was having trouble keeping focused. At times, I felt like I was repeating material, when in reality, I was comparing the joke with earlier responses. Partly because the shows have been very close together with 4 to 5 performances per evening.

I want to publicly thank Jay Johnson, Tony award winner and former star of Soap. I had e-mailed him regarding my burn-out and he offered some excellent advice. Jay is not only one of the top ventriloquists in the world - but an incredibly nice guy. Thanks again Jay!

My thanks also goes out to:
David Crone, who always has a kind word and encouragement,

and members of my audiences who have searched out my web site and e-mailed about the show. It means a lot when someone takes the time to tell me how much they enjoyed the laughs!

End of the Run

Monday night the crowds were smaller since some of the weekenders had left. Tuesday was cool with a stiff breeze, so the crowds were even smaller. My final show last night had 25 people at most - a far cry from what I had been drawing. I expect tonight to go about the same since the weather really hasn't changed.

After I end at 11:00, I get to head back to the hotel, change, check out and start my overnight drive. I've got a lunchtime show in Mt. Airy, MD. After that, laundry and grocery shopping - then heading to Knoebels (a two and a half hour drive) for a one week run. There will be no more sleep until I unload my show there - should hit the bed about midnight Friday morning!

Because Knoebels has poor cell reception and no wireless Internet - I will be out of touch with the world for awhile. A good time to rest, have fun with my shows and recharge for my Michigan trip at the end of that week. (Which oddly enough, involves an overnight drive.) At least I'm working!
Tom

Street Performing

With two nights of street vent (8 shows) under my belt - I'm having fun. It is a very different type of performance. Luckily my act is playing well. On the street, you've got plenty of potential distractions, which can really change the comedic timing. I realize to get better at this style, I'll need to work harder on creating material that allows me to ad-lib, yet return to my original script seamlessly.

The fresh air and four - 45 minute shows each evening has put a slight strain on my vocals after the two nights. I'm spending most of each day in my hotel room, resting my voice and catching up on sleep. When awake, I'm working on my show.

It is the curse of being on the road alone. I'm in a great beach location, hotel right on the ocean - and I'm spending my time in a room. Being by myself I don't have as much desire to explore or participate in the activities the vacationers enjoy. Still, the shows and the laughs are worth it!

Virginia Beach Ventriloquist

Tonight I start performing at Beach Street. It should be a lot of fun - tourists are treated to free street performances by a variety of artists. It is one of the attractions that keeps Virginia Beach a family destination. I'm also looking forward to meeting the other acts - it is always great to hang with other performers.

I arrived yesterday so I wouldn't have to deal with the Friday beach traffic. They have me in an Ocean front hotel with a balcony that looks out over the Atlantic. During the evening I walked the town to look around and had dinner at a spot my wife and I enjoyed years ago when we performed at a medical convention. Even with all my recent performances in the area, this is the first time I've been to the ocean here since then.

Now it is time to grab some breakfast and enjoy a walk in the surf!

Driving...

Spent much of the last few days behind the wheel of my car. Friday I fought pouring rain and traffic around Baltimore & Washington DC to reach shows in Virginia Beach that evening. Spent the night there and had a very long drive back to PA. for a banquet show on Saturday.

As I sat on an express highway (no exits) Saturday afternoon, I wondered why we were stopped. There was no accident - there was no place to turn off - no merges to make. To me, driving on a highway like that is a simple matter of MOVE FORWARD.

Someone must have heard me, because we did move forward. 23 miles in just over an hour.

And they call the puppets "Dummies". . .

After Dinner Show

Saturday night, I had a show in lower New Jersey. The organization was holding their annual fund raising banquet and I was hired to close the show with a 45 minute comedy set. There was a lot of great talent on the bill, excellent singing, piano playing, guitars and even a saxophone quartet. I did what I usually do before a show, went into my shell and watched the audience to determine the best method of connecting with them.

Comedy can be a subjective creature. What is funny to one audience can fall flat on the next. It is important to be able to read the crowd and adjust the show to them. This was a very mixed audience, from young teen to senior citizen - about 200 in all. That makes the job even more difficult since you have a wide variety of humor levels to contend with. Younger audiences want the hipper comedy they see on TV - the older crowd tends to revel in the style of great comedians of the past.

To make a long story short - the evening ended with a standing ovation. I was truly honored. They have already scheduled my show for 2010 - so I have some huge expectations to meet on a completely different program. This morning, I received an e-mail from a member of the board:

"I am still hearing (and probably will continue to do so for a while) how great your show was!

When we spoke back stage (in reality – back kitchen), I told you how I had hyped up the act to ticket buyers because I was so impressed by what I had seen on the internet and you said you hoped you could live up to my words (modest for a performer, I like that). Oh my gosh, everything that you did was funny, entertaining and amazing all rolled into one! You “WOWED” the audience!

Thanks so much for making it one of the best shows ever! Selling tickets for next year’s show will be a cake walk thanks to you."
Rhonda Gage
Board of Directors

In truth, I want to thank them and every organization, individual and corporation that has ever hired me. Because of you, I get to earn a living doing something I love - making people laugh!
THANKS!

2008 Rising Star Award Winner

Late last week I received word that I was named the top grossing ventriloquist on Gigmasters and presented the 2008 Rising Star Award on their system:

Dear Tom Crowl - Rising Star Award Winner 2008,
The press release for the Rising Star Awards went out on the newswire Wednesday, March 18th. The link to the release is below:
http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20090318/NY8565818032009-1.html

And again, congratulations from all of us at GigMasters!
Sincerely,
Kevin H. Kinyon
Founder & President, Gigmasters.com, Inc.

It was a nice surprise. I have enjoyed the opportunities Gigmasters has presented in the last year and look forward to 2009!