Andrea Detwiler, BFA in Theatrical Design with emphasis on Costume Design, 1993
When this interview took place, Andrea was in Cologne, Germany doing “skin maintenance” on the dinosaurs in Jurassic World: The Exhibition. In addition to the Walking with Dinosaurs tour (this is a variation), Andrea has wrangled puppets for Sesame Street, the Muppets and several Star Wars series.
When she graduated from Monacan High in Chesterfield, Andrea majored in Humanities and Sciences at VCU, then Education, but after a few classes she decided, “I don’t think I want to be a teacher.” She ended up auditioning for the Theatre Department and worked with Liz Hopper (former Head of Costume Design) in costume construction. Andrea recalls, “I thank her for showing me another path that I didn’t even know existed.”
During the summers, Andrea started working at Kings Dominion as a dresser, “The best choice I ever made.” By 1999, she was in New York working for The Jim Henson Company, where she spent six seasons on Sesame Street. She also traveled to Delhi, India; Paris, France; and Hamburg, Germany with the international Sesame Street productions.
While in New York, Andrea helped build puppets for the Broadway run of Avenue Q. Once she moved to LA, she worked on several Muppets projects, including Happy Time Murders and Muppets Most Wanted, in addition to being part of a team that created a Tony the Tiger at the Jim Henson Creature Shop.
Walking with Dinosaurs entered her life in 2009, which took her from New Zealand to China. The 35-foot creatures are carried unassembled and once the skeleton structure is assembled, Andrea stretches the “skin” over it. This show was a turning point in another way. Andrea met her husband Rick Berger, who was a carpenter on the project. He’s currently tour stage manager for a major musical act (name withheld to avoid any ticket requests). “It was nice to meet somebody who understands theatre.”
After COVID, Andrea was offered her first of two Star Wars gigs on Obi-Wan Kenobi. She earned her SAG card puppeteering animatronic faces, including the shop owner in the final episode. The other series, Skeleton Crew, is scheduled to be released later this year. Andrea sums it up. “I would NOT be here if it weren’t for VCU. Everything I’ve done led me down this path.”
Header image (clockwise from bottom left): Andrea saying “Hi!” to Cookie Monster; Andrea with Bob McGrath, cast member of Sesame Street for almost 50 years; a cauliflower puppet Andrea made for Sesame Street; Foam construction at the Jim Henson Creature Shop; Backstage at The Muppets Take the Bowl, a live concert event performed at the Hollywood Bowl; Tony the Tiger Head (coverings patterned and construction by Andrea)
Compiled by Liz Hopper (professor emeritus) and Jerry Williams (BFA ’71) for the August 2023 Theatre Alumni newsletter