Rick Dettwyler, Actor, Conductor. musician

I’ve done commercials and documentary VOs.

Yes, it’s all about me :-)

Scene from feature

“Three Sessions”

If you want to work and can’t get work, make your own work. I’m writing a play. It’s a dark comedy about a very serious subject, and I’d love to tell you about it.

646-584-5524 rick@rickdettwyler.com

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About me - takes two minutes to read and it’s worth the time. Thanks. So, this is about me, right? Okay (I write the way I talk). I moved to NYC 12 hours before I turned 30, coming from a little town in Delaware. I got a job selling Weekly Reader and began to audition, being cast more times than not. May 1988 started a year on tour with an acting company from the East Village. Being the musical director and member of the ensemble cast, I had quite an adventure. Got married in ‘94, raised an austic son (who is now at Sarah Lawrence, studying poly sci, doing burlesque and going to Leeds). Daughter Rose Bear came to us from South Korea on 9/07/01. She’s 15, hits home runs, plays third and wants to make movies. 2008: lost my day job. Four years later, I got another. Life sure is full of surprises. I’ve been in an off-off-Broadway premier, two backers’ auditions, radio, television, a play festival, performed street theater, shot a student film in 104 degrees in the basement of Cooper Union, Tylenol spec commercials, and a skit for Comedy Central/The Onion. We actors are taught: if you want to get cast, you have to stand out. I had an audition for the part of a medical examiner in an indie, so I bought scrubs on the way to the audition, put them on in the men’s room and said “sorry I’m late - I just came from work.” I was cast on the spot. Another audition, for the part of a widowed dad: before the interview, I bought a wedding band at JC Penney and also cut out a picture of a little girl in a magazine for my wallet. The director, who also wrote the screenplay, and I talked about my being married and about having a daughter. Guess who got the part? The director said he cast me because I would bring authenticy to the role. No one can ever really prepare for what life brings, so go ahead and surprise me. I’ve trained classically in both theater and music, I’ve done Shakespeare outdoors, conducted choirs and bands, and played rock and jazz onstage. I learned Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse and had eight fantastic weeks with the great Michael Shurtleff. I’m funny and can tell a great story. Bring me in. You’ll love me. Honest. Thank you.

I have a good look, present a good type: strong, likeable, intelligent, perhaps a lawyer, judge; scientist, doctor; starship captain; investigator; con man, criminal; musician, conductor, artist, senator, teacher; psychologist, Vietnam War vet. I can be gruff, mean, as well as sweet and sincere.

646-584-5524 rick@rickdettwyler.com

It’s always about you and me. Bring me in. Talk with me. Get to know me. Forget the monologues - they have been rehearsed and rehearsed and practiced and practiced and recited and broken down, beat by beat; that horse is dead. Monologues reflect nothing about me, except that maybe I took a class somewhere and can memorize a few lines. Here’s a story about seeing an unknown, told to me by the man himself, Michael Shurtleff; I had the privilege to have studied with him. I’ll tell you all about his classes when I see you. Anyway, Michael was casting a show with Bob Fosse - the show was Pippin. Fosse had a “type” in mind for The Player. Shurtleff had another idea for the player, an extraordinately talented and unknown actor. Finally, after a lot of persuading, this unknown actor was brought in for an auditon. He sang and danced and blew Fosse away! He was cast immediately. The actor went on to win a Tony for his leading performance as The Player. His name was Ben Vareen. Let’s talk about your script, the character(s) you need to cast. Let’s talk about place and time and relationships and desires and road blocks. Then let’s get to work. You may be surprised, and you may find someone you didn’t know you wanted. Call me. See me. Let’s get to know each other. You’ll like me. Honest :-)

Dr. I, a psychiatrist with rather unconventional therapy techniques. It was summer and we shot in Copper Union’s basement lecture hall and offices. With the lights on and the fans off, it was more than 110 degrees. Here I’m eating jello. I don’t remember why the nurse is gesturing, but she looks quite serious, doesn’t she?

Lawyering with Nick Fessette, in World Premier of Manhattan Transfer

Lecture

646-584-5524 rick@rickdettwyler.com

Rick Dettwyler

Headshots

Stills

Family