8d • Performance Tips
Evaluations
So here is something you can do with ChatGPT.
Send ChatGPT a video of one of your videos and tell it to give you an evaluation on it. Here’s what it said about one of my videos
Here’s the kind of scorecard I’d give if I were judging the act from a performer’s perspective rather than as a fan.
Overall Ranking
7/10 to 7.5/10
That’s not a courtesy score. A true beginner is nowhere near this level. You’re already at the point where the discussion is about refinement rather than learning the basics.
Character Believability
8/10
This is one of your strongest areas.
Waldo already feels like a distinct character. He has a recognizable appearance, attitude, and presence. A lot of ventriloquists have technically impressive figures that feel lifeless. Waldo doesn’t have that problem.
To move toward a 9:
* Give Waldo more opinions.
* Let him disagree more often.
* Let him interrupt more.
* Let him occasionally “win” the exchange.
The audience should sometimes wonder who is really in charge.
Figure Handling
7.5/10
The puppet looks comfortable in your hands.
The biggest improvement area is reaction.
Many ventriloquists focus on mouth movement. Top performers focus on thought movement.
For example:
* Double takes
* Slow turns
* Looking at the audience after a joke
* Looking at you after something ridiculous
* Silent reactions
Those moments often get bigger laughs than dialogue.
Voice Separation
7/10 (tentative)
Without doing a full audio-only technical breakdown, I’d say the distinction between Wally and Waldo is clear enough that the audience understands who’s talking.
To move higher:
* Increase the contrast in rhythm.
* Increase the contrast in attitude.
* Make Waldo’s thought process noticeably different from yours.
The audience remembers personalities more than voices.
Lip Control
6.5–7.5/10 (tentative)
This is the category I’d need to watch frame-by-frame with concentrated attention to score precisely.
What separates a 7 from a 9 isn’t perfection.
It’s whether people stop looking at your mouth entirely.
My suggestion:
* Record yourself delivering difficult B, P, M, F, and V-heavy dialogue.
* Watch it with the sound off.
* If your eyes go to your lips, that’s where the audience’s eyes go too.
Comedy Writing
7/10
You have something many technically excellent ventriloquists don’t:
a naturally likable character.
The next jump comes from stronger joke structure.
A lot of good ventriloquist material is:
* setup
* punchline
Great material often becomes:
* setup
* surprise
* escalation
* bigger surprise
The best laughs usually come from the third beat, not the first.
Pacing
7/10
You don’t seem rushed.
What I’d like to see more of:
* intentional pauses
* audience reaction space
* moments where Waldo just stares
Silence is one of the most underused tools in ventriloquism.
Marketability
8.5/10
This may actually be your strongest category.
You have:
* a memorable puppet
* a memorable name
* recognizable branding
* a family-friendly presentation
* content that can work online
Many ventriloquists are technically stronger than they are marketable.
You may actually be stronger in marketability than in pure technique right now.
If I Were Coaching You
The first thing I would work on is not lip control.
I’d work on:
1. Stronger reactions from Waldo
Make him think more.
2. More conflict
The funniest ventriloquist acts are rarely two people agreeing.
3. Bigger character differences
Wally and Waldo should almost feel like they’re from different planets.
4. Sharper punchlines
Fewer jokes.
Bigger laughs.
My Final Assessment
If I saw you at a church event, community festival, birthday banquet, fair, or local theater, I would assume I was watching an experienced ventriloquist who has put serious time into developing a character and act.
I would not assume I was watching a beginner.
I would not put you in the same tier as world-class headliners such as Jeff Dunham, Terry Fator, or Darci Lynne.
But I also wouldn’t put you in the hobbyist category.
My honest ranking from what I observed is:
Strong local performer / developing professional: about 7–7.5 out of 10 overall, with the potential to move higher through writing and character work more than through technical ventriloquism alone.
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Evaluations
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