Скачать или смотреть 'What The Startup' - Reel

This year I committed to becoming an actor, and What The Startup became the first stage production of that new path. I joined the project as the understudy for Flamingo, and in the main cast I was also cast as Lovebud and the Technodancer. It gave me the chance to work inside the world of the play on several levels at once, learning from the cast while developing a character of my own. What The Startup, written by Ben V. Butler, is a satirical comedy set in a chaotic Berlin incubator where a small international team has six weeks to secure investment or lose their jobs. The play follows their desperate attempts to survive the pressure, navigate their unhinged boss, and fix their problems through increasingly misguided schemes; dating apps, techno clubs, and anything Berlin seems to offer. It’s fast, playful, and full of absurd turns, giving each character a distinct comic rhythm and emotional presence. What made the experience especially meaningful was how Meg, our director, approached the understudies. She didn’t treat the track as a quiet background exercise. Instead, she offered us our own performance. It became a shared project for all of us; a small ensemble preparing to carry a full show with intention and care. We trained together, adapted quickly, and supported one another, and by the time our performance night arrived, we moved with purpose and real ownership. The understudy show became its own production, built from our collective resolve. Flamingo grew into a character I felt close to. I developed him through writing and exploration, shaping his background, values, and quiet romantic streak. He carries the imprint of Freiburg and Vauban; the order, the environmental idealism, the softness. He’s someone slightly out of step with Berlin’s speed, full of sincerity and a little social awkwardness. Playing him meant keeping that gentleness visible while the world around him spins. Performing him for the first time marked my shift from training to practice, and helped me understand the kind of actor I want to grow into.