Blame it on Sesame Street. Oh, and Paul Winchell, too. He played a part in this as well. If not for the considerable influence of this famous , ventriloquist and voice actor, Sylvia Markson ( Markson a STAGE name.) would probably not have asked for a puppet
of her very own, would not have practiced the art of ventriloquism for hours
on end, and would probably not have become a talented puppet master. This
would have been an enormous loss to the Thousands of families, who have enjoyed
her unique and fun-filled show today.
Sylvia , who makes her home in the Albany region, tours throughout the Eastern
area with the Magic Trunk, a well traveled box inhabited by a delightful bunch
of quick-witted puppets that she magically brings to life through ventriloquism.
Whether she stops at Schools, Fairs, Corporate shows or others venues, the
young and young at heart are treated to a show where, they can believe that
a puppet can truly talk.
To hear her tell it, Sylvias path into ventriloquism and entertaining was quite normal. Growing up in Los Angeles, California with Sesame Street, Shari Lewis and the great ventriloquist Paul Winchell, she developed a love for puppets. At the age of five, she asked her parents for "Willie Talk", her first vent figure (her preferred name for dummy in these politically correct times).
Willie came with a book on how to become a ventriloquist, and she studied the lessons in that book, practicing every day to become as proficient as possible.
"Its
the only way you can do it," she insisted. "I read a lot. I practiced,
and thats how I learned it."
Before too long, she was performing for her family and at talent shows, which
soon led to "Leon", a semi-professional vent figure. Backed by her
friends Willie and Leon, Sylvia began to accumulate some of her lifes little
victories. In fifth grade, for instance, she entered a talent contest at school
and won. A few years later, in her freshman year of high school, she ran for
Freshman President. With Leon as her campaign manager , they went up in front
of the school, gave speech, and captured the position with ease.
When
Sylvia was 17 years old, her father bought her Sonny, her first professional
vent figure. In many respects, her father set her on the path she travels
today by being so supportive of her talents. She recalled how he would, unbeknownst
to her, put her vent figures in the trunk of the family car. When she would
say said she couldnt perform because she didnt have her characters, he would
produce them from the trunk of the car. She says they laugh about his antics
today, and recognize his support in her career development.
She continued to pursue her interest as a ventriloquist while pursuing a career
in the Business world. Eventually her love of ventriloquism brought her back
to performing.
Sylvia has
now been performing professionally for about 15 years , bringing her act to
schools, corporations, county fairs, and other venues .
Recently, she has more or less retired her traditional vent figures, choosing
instead to entertain with a variety of professional puppets. Her cast of characters
includes Chito, a wise cracking Latino opossum, an outrageous Southern bird
who loves to steal the show , a Genie who lives in a bottle , a talking picture
and many more surprises.
She said she has no particular favorite puppet, she loves them all because they are all so different and original. While she pieces all of her characters together taking elements from her own life, whether its her Hispanic heritage or the characteristics of her Southern relatives or her own experiences in Corporate America , she is careful to ensure that all of her characters are unique unto themselves.
The Fletcher Family
Sylvia Markson ( Fletcher is her everyday name) resides in Upstate New York and enjoys spending time with her family, Husband Christopher Fletcher , two boys Eric and Evan, and two dogs Benny , Willow and cat Magic . My family is the most important thing to me. When were not on the road, we enjoy spending time on our homestead riding four wheelers, shooting bows, playing tennis, going to movies etc.. . Husband Chris who is heavily involved with the shows Management , Production and Comic MC for the show is also a Professional Archer who shoots professionally and was ranked as high as 6th in the world. Son Eric 16 enjoys working on his computer and is your typical teenager. Evan 13 loves sports and is currently pursuing tennis as his sport of choice .
I am Thankful everyday for the opportunity to be able to make people laugh and I am also fortunate that it allows me to spend more time with my family while on the road!!
 Chris and Sylvia Fletcher |
 The Fletchers out on the Town. |
 Chris at Championship shoot. |
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