A few of my figures are decidely "country." Ida Claire is a soft spoken woman with Southern charm. Slim Chance, a cowboy, is also "country." The interesting thing, is, however, how well these two characters lend themselves to use in church. My church is in Virginia, but I suspect that these two characters would play well no matter where they would find themselves. It seems that there is a little bit of country in everyone.
Speaking of country, on a trip last Spring to Nashville, I came to understand and appreciate the country music genre. Prior to the visit, I thought country music was about dead dogs, cheating spouses, and runaway trains! Sitting in a session with a prominent Nashville song writer, the light finally went on inside my head and I saw country music in a whole new light. Country music is about telling the story. These country music writers are gifted at painting pictures in our minds in about 4 minutes using nothing more than music and words. Ventriloquists should learn from these folks. Their music is about real people and real situations people face. Good ventriloquist routines should be as well.
As Paul Kingsbury and Alanna Nash have pointed out in their 2006 book, Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Country Music in America, country music is "corny sometimes and the puns are encouraged and savored" (p.8). That too is something any ventriloquist can appreciate. Kingsbury and Nash continue, country music is concentrating on communicating common experiences and on storytelling.
What story are we telling with our ventriloqust figures? Beyond entertainment, ventriloquism has the power to inspire as well as inform as we tell our story. Christian vents understand their work as an opportunity to tell His story. We should be good stewards of the opportunities that we are given to bring a smile and to inspire thoughts and actions.
So, what's your story?
