I am a firm believer in practicing and rehearsing. For those not in the know, practicing is where you learn your lines and rehearsing is actual performance itself, the place where you “fine tune” your show after you have worked through a dialogue.

I believe it is important to learn things bit by bit instead of trying to force the entire project at once. I break my routines into thirds, making each segment it’s own learning session. I usually do a 15-20 minute practice session when learning a routine for each segment, and do it three or four times per day (having plenty of water available as I do this), leaving at least a half hour between sessions so as not to make my voice tired or throat sore. When I feel comfortable with thee first segment and can go through it seamlessly, I then devote my practice time to the next segment, eventually adding the first segment to it. I then practice the first and second segment together until I feel it is smooth, and then add the third. Each practice segment is only 15-20 minutes in length and when I can go through the entire routine without hesitation I know I have it where I want it. I then move on to he next puppet or vent related item in my show and do the same learning sessions as I just outlined. THE KEY IS TO DO THE PRACTICE SESSIONS IN 15-20 MINUTE BLOCKS OF TIME. And always leave time in between your sessions where you can rest your voice.

To contact Mark Wade- kidshowvent@gmail.com