Max Fulham Comedy Entertainer and Ventriloquist Guild member, 17 year old Max Fulham is already getting rave reviews for his ventriloquist performances on Face Book and on his You Tube channel. He also has a very impressive and professional website to promote his talents. David Leech decided to find out more about him. You can read the interview on pages 2 to 4. Also in this issue (on page 14): With a blue monster called Nigel Meet Lori Hopkins and her innovative new play The Explorer with a specially composed soundtrack to accompany the spellbinding story, it is a play that explores marionette traditions and bends the rules a bit too. After a crash landing on a strange island, the brave Explorer needs to find her way home. Watch her travel the high seas, drift into space and even hitch a ride on an elephant. “I wanted to generate a level of excitement for string puppetry,” said Lori, “This is a performance that breaks out of the conventions of marionette theatre. I will be visible to the audience during the show and the marionette will have a live voice. Hopefully it inspires the next generation of puppeteers to create work in a new way.” www.maxandfriends.co.uk Max Fulham - Comedy Entertainer and Ventriloquist. When and how did you first become interested in ventriloquism? My parents bought me a puppet for Christmas when I was nine years old, and I was immediately hooked. Who do you take inspiration from? As well as taking inspiration from modern stars such as Paul Zerdin, Steve Hewlett and Nina Conti, I also think its vital that I look back to older performers for ventriloquism and comedy in general. I admire the manipulation skills of the ventriloquist Dan Horn. I spend a lot of time researching and watching clips from a broad field within entertainment and comedy, ranging from Victorian Music Hall to Children’s television. Who would you like to meet? I have met Nina Conti – once in the street at the Edinburgh Festival, and once after her show in Aldershot. I was also lucky enough to be introduced to Paul Zerdin at Christmas when he was appearing in pantomime at the London Palladium. I have also met Peter Pullon. I’ve also got to know Steve Hewlett and a few other variety performers who have been a great help to me. Through Facebook I am also in contact with many children’s entertainers and I’m With Nina Conti presenting some of my ideas at the 2017 Trix in the Stix convention in May. People I’d like to meet include Justin Fletcher (Mr Tumble), Ronnie Le Drew and Geoff Felix. When was your first performance? When I was at Linlithgow Primary School in Scotland I performed in several school assemblies with my puppets. Shortly after moving to Surrey in 2010. I won the local inter- schools Talent Show with a mime/comedy ventriloquism act featuring my puppet ‘Stone the Crow’ – this led to a wide range of local bookings throughout my time at secondary school in Farnham. Earlier this month I won my Sixth Form’s Talent Show in Farnborough. Where do you perform now and how often? I have performed at Farnham Carnival every June for the last four years, starting when I was 13 years old, this year will be my fifth. I perform at birthday parties for children and for older people, have performed at a wedding, at Aldershot Christmas Lights switch on for the past two years, and have done a couple of corporate gigs. How do you choose your material/content for your presentations? I’m very passionate about using puppets and so one of my main focusses is manipulation, whether that be getting a laugh from a face the puppet pulls, to just spending a few hours exploring the puppet’s movement. Much of my material comes through thinking about my audience, and I’ve tailored many scripts to fit particular situations. I own many puppets and I love projecting characters in them to suit the show I’m putting on. How did you hear about the Guild? I had seen the Punch and Judy May Fair event advertised and saw that it was connected to the Guild. At first I joined the Facebook Group and from there became a member. How do you think the Guild could be of help to your performance and artistic practice? I think the Guild will help me to be exposed to a wide range of puppeteering, which I can learn from and use to help create fresh ideas that I can put into With ventriloquist legends Steve Hewlett and Ronn Lucas practice. Simply put, I’m passionate about puppets and think they can have an incredible impact on an audience, for comedic or other purposes. I am keen to learn as much as I can about such a fascinating art form. Do you want to consider turning professional in future? It would be a dream come true. I know this is a cliché, but I’m 17 at the moment and to think I’d be able to earn a living doing what I love and what I’m passionate about, and essentially making people happy, would be one of the best jobs I can imagine. Have you any interest in other types or forms of puppetry? Yes, I love Punch and Judy, and think that I could customise the types of puppets used to fit more into my own style of performance. More obscurely, I am fascinated by Japanese bunraku because of the movements of the figures, the focus of the puppeteers and the immense culture behind it. *********************** May Fayre & Puppet Festival May 14th from 11.00 am St. Paul’s Church, Bedford Street, Covent Garden Puppet Parade at 11am - Church service 11.30 Puppet shows from 12 Noon – 5 pm The Guild stall will be there, come and say hello! Marlborough Puppet Festival 8th - 9th July Watch this space and the Guild website for further details. Skipton Puppet Festival September 29th – October 1st Email: [email protected] One day before the copy deadline for this Newsletter I was looking at a large number of blank pages… then, The British Puppet & on the actual day several people came through with Model lots of content to the extent that this edition is eight Theatre Guild pages bigger than the Feb/March issue. Thank you! Aims & Objectives I’m grateful to one of our newer overseas members, David Logan - from Australia - who sent a large article To advocate the practice of about his work with lots of photographs. I’m afraid the art of Puppetry and Model Theatre I’ve had to edit his contribution considerably, for To form a means of which I apologise, but there is only limited room in the communication amongst Newsletter after all! its members Details of the Annual General Meeting are on page 9 To improve the standard of puppetry in all its forms and pages 22 to 24. There is also a copy of the 2016 Financial Summary on page 12 and a proposal to be ***************** put to the AGM regarding subscriptions on page 13. President: Ronnie Le Drew It’s always good to welcome new members and I’m Chairman : Peter Charlton delighted to be able to share an article about Max 65, Kingsley Avenue, Fulham who has recently joined after discovering the West Ealing, London Guild on Facebook, where you will see his video posts W13 0EH of his performances as a ventriloquist. Max will also be appearing at the Marlborough Puppetry Festival too. Membership Secretary: Dave Burgess In fact, there are several young Guild members lined 183 Bwlch Road Fairwater up to perform at this festival, including Prof Joseph Cardiff Peek, (of course!) and there will be local young people CF5 3EE learning to make and use puppets and performing at [email protected] this event, so it’s one not to miss! Secretary : Sylvia Peasgood That’s all for now folks, 26, Central Avenue, Stoneygate, Yours puppetually, Leicester LE2 1TB David Leech Editor Archivist : Michael Dixon 4, St John Street, Lowtown, Bridgnorth, NEW MEMBERS Shropshire WV15 6AG Max Fulham from Surrey Damian Jay from Hampshire, Treasurer: Brian Hibbitt Priors lodge, 3 Priors Wood, Jan King from Norwich Crowthorne Berks RG45 6BZ Copy deadline for June/July NL : May 27th Notes from the Guild President Ronnie Le Drew A few updates re work, and some very pleasurable meetings with members. On the 12th February I went to see the Tysoe Marionette Group’s, last show at the Barn Theatre. Jon and Ann, invited me to Lunch before the show which was very kind of them, The show performed was the Snow Goose adapted from the Paul Gallico story. The Marionettes were beautiful to look at, and the audience loved it. Grenville Middleton travelled with me to see the performance and we shared lunch and a tour backstage, also Jon showed his large collection of puppets to us and before the day was over, I was able to present Gren with this years Presidents Plate. Many Thanks to Both Ann and Jon for inviting us. Sadly I missed the Guild’s annual visit to the barge this year, as I was giving a talk on the history of the Little Angel Theatre. Which went well which pleased me. This was followed by two sessions for the Little Angels, foundation course. With another two sessions for The Royal Academy of Music, Their Musical Theatre Students, wanted to know about Puppets, and were a wonderful receptive group.