Dudley!

I am working on a new character for KEYS FOR KIDDOS. Dudley my bumpkin rabbit. This will be a first for me! I have never used a bumpkin character before. I'm planning on homageing the simple fun that Edgar Bergan had with his delightful Mortimer Snerd character. Stay Tuned! Below are pictures of Dudley's progress in the Dummy workshop.

Website getting an update

http://www.texasvents.com/characters.html

We've added a characters page and are working on refining the appearances page. We'll also be adding more pages detailing the shows we will have available for booking. Stay tuned for more updates.

Mr. Phil is back for another season of KEYS FOR KIDDOS!

I am happy to report I am back doing ventriloquism for Keys Media's  faith based children's variety show KEYS FOR KIDDOS. The show is a local show to the Houston Texas area. So far I have done 4 skits with Bosworth the Talking Crow and this weekend we will tape Cowboy Corky's Halloween Hayride. For more information about when the shows will air check the keys media website. http://keysmedia.tv/

End Of An Era, Clinton Detweiler Dies

Clinton Detweiler

End of an era, Clinton Detweiler dies

Clinton Detweiler died at his home on Tuesday, January 22, 2013. His passing will leave an indellible mark on the ventriloquist community, and he will be greatly missed.

Mr. Detweiler began his career as a ventriloquist in the late 1950s. He built his first ventriloquist figure for his own use in 1958, and built his first figure for resale in 1969. 

Mr. Detweiler and his wife Adelia purchased Maher Ventriloquist Studios from Madeleine Maher in 1969. They closed Maher Studios in 2006, but continued to supply ventriloquists and make figures. 


Author of Ventriloquism in a Nutshell,  and The New Millenium Maher Ventrilquist Course, Mr. Detweiler has inspired thousands of ventriloquists with his books and tapes teaching the art.

Mr. Detweiler kept a blog entitled Mr. D's Daily Ventriloquist Journal, to which he posted news and articles related to all things ventriloquial. He was kind enough to feature Texas Vents in his blog on more than one occasion. His passing marks the end of an era, and leaves a void that is not easily filled.

Phil and Bosworth return to Harmony Keys

Phil and his pal Bosworth made another appearance on the Keys for Kiddos program. 

Bosworth sings songs with the kids who appear on the show about the importance of truth and trust, and what to do about bullies.

Keys for Kiddos is a faith based children's program designed to entertain children while delivering a message of love, hope and lessons on right and wrong. Set in the seaside community of Harmony Keys, the population of characters shares lessons in life and love with the kids. 

The show will air on Ion Television Saturday mornings at 7:30 a.m. (central) beginning in February. 

Phil and Bosworth with the children of Keys for Kiddos

Phil, Bosworth and the Keys for Kiddos kids on the set

Phil and Bosworth join Keys Media and Ion Television

Texas Vents performer Phil and his finely feathered pal Bosworth the crow are flying high on Saturday mornings beginning in February. Phil has joined the cast of "Keys for Kiddos" a family friendly faith based entertainment show for kids produced by Keys TV, which will begin airing on Ion Television network in February 2013.

The show is currently in production, and Phil and Bosworth have shot three episode appearances with many more to follow.

Phil and Bosworth do a routine about Valentine's for the Valentine's day episode of "Keys for Kiddos"

producer director Buddy Gurganus directs Bosworth for his big scene

Houston ventriloquists to appear at Rotary, Holiday Open House - Your Houston News: News

Phil Nichols and Bosworth the Crow

Houston ventriloquists to appear at Rotary, Holiday Open House

By Brad Meyer | Posted: Monday, November 19, 2012 11:59 pm


At least two of the featured speakers at today’s Conroe Rotary Club meeting will be real dummies.
Professional ventriloquists Phil and Melissa Nichols, and their pals, Bosworth the crow and Ick the germ, are the featured speakers at the Conroe Rotary Club meeting at noon today at First Baptist Church of Conroe, located at 600 N. Main Street.

“We’ll be doing a short program to help promote the upcoming Holiday Open House coming in December,” Phil Nichols said. “We have been doing a lot of movie special effects, puppetry and animatronics, but the puppet are always popular at live events.”

The brother and sister team got into ventriloquism at an early age. Their expertise with puppets and specialty makeup led them to a career in show business, primarily in film and live stage productions.
“We worked on Disney’s film ‘Powder’ and ‘Ace Ventura II’ as well as numerous other films,” Phil Nichols said. “We’re currently doing the special effects for ‘Toxic Avenger’ at the Alley Theatre in Houston.”



Ad poster for the Vent Show

The duo will be featured at the Holiday Open House from 1-5 p.m. Dec. 8, sponsored by Stage Right at the Crighton Theatre in Conroe. The family event features a variety of entertainment, crafts, activities and two shows by Phil and Melissa Nichols.
“We haven’t done a lot of public ventriloquism shows lately,” Phil Nichols said. “But it’s coming back as a popular form of entertainment, so we’re renewing our act and working on expanding our lineup of puppets.”

The pair learned the art of ventriloquism from the internationally known performer Edgar Bergen. They create their own puppet characters that they use on stage.
“Learning to throw your voice isn’t really that hard,” Phil Nichols said. “The hard part is developing characters and learning to change voices rapidly and keep the material fast-paced and fun. That can be a challenge.”

The popularity of zombie and horror films has created significant competition in the special effects industry, he said. While the pair continues to work in the industry and has a line of specialty zombie makeup popular at Halloween, they are hoping to get more stage time in ventriloquism.

Melissa and Charlene Peckerwood

“I’ve created dozen’s of dummies over the years, but I only use two at the moment – Bosworth the crow and Corky the smart-aleck boy,” Phil Nichols said. “Melissa has a dummy called Charlene Peckerwood and Ick the germ.”
The entertainers will give a holiday-themed performance at the Rotary meeting today highlighting the upcoming Holiday Open House hosted by Stage Right in December. The event is scheduled to start after the Kiwanis Christmas parade in downtown Conroe.
For information on Phil and Melissa Nichols, visit www.texasvents.com and their special effects studio website at www.facadesfx.com.
Admission to the Holiday Open House at the Crighton Theatre, located at 234 N. Main Street in Conroe, is $5 and tickets can be purchased at the door. For information, call 936-441-SHOW or visit www.stage-right.org.


Houston ventriloquists to appear at Rotary, Holiday Open House - Your Houston News: News