Tim Holland, stunt ventriloquist from Peterborough, delighted an audience of 258 people of all ages at the Paul J. Yakabuski Community Centre (PJYC) in Barry’s Bay during March Break. His puppets, jokes, musical instruments and unicycle tricks prompted much laughter and applause during the one hour show.
Holland said he started ventriloquism in 2000 so he has had plenty of practice developing new voices and tricks over the years. The video below shows Holland demonstrating his skills.
Although he trained as a teacher, Holland never did classroom work once he saw how well young people responded to his show. His first experience on stage was at a festival in White River, Ontario when a fellow counselor at an Outward Bound camp encouraged him to show off his juggling. During the late 1990s, he did stunt shows at community and busker festivals, developing his puppetry and circus skills.
The video below shows Holland and Crackers with Aaron and Jasmine, two young helpers from the audience.
His first show in Barry’s Bay provided plenty of opportunity for Holland and his puppets to enlist audience participation. He said,
This was the ideal audience for me in a lot of ways. There was a nice mix. Because it was March Break, there were parents as well so I could get a sense of whether the jokes will land. I often mix jokes for the kids and the adults so it’s nice to see an audience with a good age range.
Holland said he is working on new routines all the time. He said, for example, that he had a new puppet in his case but didn’t bring it out at this show. His two children, 5 and 8 years old, provide an in-house test audience for new material.
The near-capacity turnout (pictured above) “shocked” MV Recreation and Community Development Coordinator Stephanie Plebon. She told The Current that when she booked Holland about a month earlier she had no idea what to expect, but she was pleased with the community response.
Plebon has more March Break fun planned for families in the Valley. A Movie Night will be held in the PJYC upstairs lounge on Friday March 15 at 6 p.m. The cost is $3 per person. Drinks and snacks will be available.
