This is a clip of ventriloquist Nina Conti, who strapped a Vent-Mask to the face of an audience member she pulled onstage.

The Vent-Mask was invented by Joel Hodgson, the guy behind “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” who did it in his act in a Minneapolis comedy club in the late 1980s. Ronn Lucas, who headlined as a ventriloquist in his own Vegas show for many years, saw Hodgson’s invention, partnered with him, and bought the sole performance rights to use it. I saw Lucas use it in his long-running show at The Rio, where it brought the house down. When Lucas stopped doing that show, several other performers stepped up to license the Vent-Mask (and its associated intellectual property), including Jay Johnson and Terry Fator, who made it part of his own Vegas extravaganza at The Mirage.

The key to doing the Vent-Mask bit — aside from the basics of ventriloquism — is choosing an audience member who will have fun and play along, a skill that Conti has clearly honed. In this performance, her choice paid off perfectly…