Ventriloquism

Ventriloquism is the phenomenon by which an actor makes another actor speak or say something through the production of a given utterance, turn of talk, or conduct. In the common understanding of the word, ventriloquism is a performance by which a person (called the ventriloquist) manipulates his or her voice in such a way that it appears to come from somewhere else. Also called the art of “making voices” or “throwing one's voice,” it can be traced back to ancient Greece, where the ventriloquists were then called engastrimanteis or belly prophets and considered oracles. In its modern version, this type of performance has become a popular form of stagecraft where the ventriloquist manipulates a dummy in such a manner that it appears to be speaking by itself, having a conversation with the ventriloquist or speaking to the audience.