Love it or hate it, ventriloquism is hot these days. From Jeff Dunham's superstardom to three recent America's Got Talent winners, 'vents' are seeing more exposure than they have in decades. And with this attention comes new fans and practicioners from around the world.

But venting wasn't always so popular. For centuries it was regarded as dark and deceptive--a practice  often associated with charlatans, witches, and people possesed. And even today, some still admit to feeling uneasy in the presence of puppets.

Today we speak with historians and practicioners of ventriloquism to get an inside look at this age-old art form. We'll trace the evolution of venting from Vaudeville to its modern revival, and even get an on-air lesson by a pro!

Love it or hate it, ventriloquism is hot these days. From Jeff Dunham's superstardom to three recent America's Got Talent winners, 'vents' are seeing more exposure than they have in decades. And with this attention comes new fans and practicioners from around the world.
But venting wasn't always so popular. For centuries it was regarded as dark and deceptive--a practice&nbsp; often associated with charlatans, witches, and people possesed. And even today, some still admit to feeling uneasy in the presence of puppets.
Today we speak with historians and practicioners of ventriloquism to get an inside look at this age-old art form. We'll trace the evolution of venting from Vaudeville to its modern revival, and even get an on-air <a href="https://www.petrapuppets.com/">lesson by a pro</a>!

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

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