CARLA RHODES is a ventriloquist and comedian from Louisville, Kentucky. She’s been throwing her voice since she was 9 years old. Her biggest influence, Shari Lewis, mentored Carla. Lamb Chop was there too!
Carla has treaded the boards with her cantankerous sidekick Cecil Sinclaire at popular New York City venues like The Slipper Room, City Winery, Joe’s Pub, Terminal 5, Cutting Room, and just about every rock ‘n roll, burlesque, and alternative comedy stage in the city.
But she doesn’t live in a bubble. She performs outside of New York, too, all over the country…in lesser cities. She also ventures beyond continental borders, seizing the stage at The Glasgow Comedy Festival and making a name for her and Cecil on the cabaret and vaudeville scene in London. In June of 2018, she performed in Iceland as part of Reykjavik Cabaret and taught ventriloquism in the National Museum. Carla is the fanciest ventriloquist!
To add, she has opened for Neil Hamburger (her comedic hero!) numerous times and is doing an East Coast Tour with Emo Philips (another comedic hero!) in the Fall of 2018.
Carla also found her way onto television. She was featured CBS’ Sunday Morning. She earned a shout-out from Dave Letterman on Late Night with David Letterman when that was a show. She also appeared on ABC’s The Gong Show (2017). She was gonged and Mike Myers punched Cecil Sinclaire in the face. He didn’t feel it because he’s a dummy, but Carla had to hear about it the whole way home.
There’s so much more to tell you! She was an Andy Kaufman Award Finalist in 2012. She’s delighted audiences at Dragon*Con and the burgeoning Puppet Slam. She performed her solo rock ‘n roll musical “The Continuing Story of Carla Rhodes” as part of Ars Nova’s ANT Fest. She even exhibited herself at the Jewish Museum! (Totally high-brow.)
New York Magazine dubbed Carla one of the “Ten New Comedians That Funny People Find Funny.” According to Backstage “Carla Rhodes isn’t your typical ventriloquist… She’s intent on shaking up the norm.” The Villager described Carla as “The Savion Glover of vents, almost single-handedly injecting a notoriously uncool and backward-looking performance branch with a badly-needed kick in the ass.”
