Reactor Workshop: Prototype - a playful metallurgical playground!

During June and July, Reactor was absolutely buzzing with excitement as we hosted an internship program for the wonderful students of the Faculty of Theatre and Film at Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca! For two whole months, we shared all the joy and secrets of working in independent theatre, and we challenged our participants to a fabulous simulation exercise: creating their very own theatre company. And that is exactly how Prototip – fabrică metaludică (Prototype – Metaludic Factory) was born! This was a joyful, hands-on collective imagination adventure that helped the students work, play, and think like true independent artists for two months. We imagined a vibrant, sparkling company, bursting with a passion for exploration and experimentation, boldly blending classic theatre with contemporary vibes. Together, we set goals, sketched out a one-year management plan, designed a proposal for a debut production, and dived headfirst into a thrilling research laboratory alongside Shakespearean characters and our own personal stories. Although the simulation has come to an end, we hope that the magic of these two months will live on through every member of this wonderful team, and that the spirit of Prototip will materialize on stage very soon! Come and meet our fantastic metaludic team and discover their exciting project!

THE COMPANY

graphic design: Theodora Pintilie

Right in the beating heart of Cluj, nestled between modern buildings, charming old houses, and historic communist ruins, you’ll find us.

A cozy little theatre filled with average-sized people dreaming up giant plans!

You will recognize us by our cozy little stages where great actors perform; by our tiny sheets of paper carrying big, beautiful texts, or simply by our bright, smiling faces!

We are small but grand, and grand but small, so we warmly welcome everyone—from the tiniest tots to the most grown-up theatre lovers! There is plenty of room for everyone in our big, wonderful world, snugly tucked into our cozy little rooms.

Come visit, and maybe that magic trick of a tall lady contorting into a tiny box won't just be a mystery anymore!

A warm welcome will always be waiting for you here.

Signed,

The Giants in the Honeysuckle House.

OUR MISSION

The wonderful mission of Prototip – fabrică metaludică is to create inspiring theatrical productions, continuously play with exciting new performance styles, offer fantastic professional opportunities to emerging artists, and build a warm, welcoming community around us!

MEET THE TEAM

Cristina BORDEANU | actress and the lady of the schedule

What I love doing most of all…

What I love most in the world is building beautiful, magical things with people who truly get me and make me feel completely free! I love letting my imagination run wild—which usually involves pixie dust, colorful plastic basins, and all sorts of fun, whimsical things!

Prototip is…

Prototip is like a cozy gingerbread house where a bunch of incredibly ambitious and slightly chaotic young spirits drink tea and brainstorm wildly, trying to bring the friendly witch back to life!

The ideal theatre has…

The ideal theatre has loads and loads of love, magic, and ultimate freedom!

Alma DIACONU | actress and the lady of organization

What I love doing most of all…

Challenging myself! That’s exactly why I chose acting, why I love having endless chats with absolutely anyone, and why I say a big 'yes!' to almost anything new and unknown. It might sound a bit self-reflective, but that's how I discover how I tick, what helps me grow, and what doesn't. I just have so many questions to ask!

Prototip is…

It’s a snug little team made of small people with huge, warm hearts, who are delightfully and hilariously different! Prototip is a project very close to my heart through which I met the wonderful Reactor family, and it inspired me to think outside the box. Prototip is us, together with you! No, seriously, poetic descriptions aside, this project means the world to me.

The ideal theatre has…

The ideal theatre has its very own safe, welcoming space that greets everyone with open arms—just as they are, whether they are actors, directors, playwrights, or our beloved audience members! It’s wonderfully dark, yet filled with bright, illuminating thoughts and stories. It challenges us, asks big questions, and explores fresh perspectives. It’s not always comfortable, but it is beautifully alive and speaks directly to us here and now—not through dusty old theories, but with heart and passion!

Claudiu NEGOIȚĂ | actor and the guardian of focus

What I love doing most of all…

What I love most is discovering new things! Meeting new people and learning new ideas. Through people, I gather amazing stories, and those stories lead me to even more incredible people. Would you have guessed there’s such a beautiful connection between people and stories? Well, there's a fun fact for you! So, yes, it's all about the people...

Prototip is…

Prototip is a joyful metaludic factory that aims, through pure passion, playfulness, and gratitude, to sprinkle a sweet touch of vulnerability over warm, eager hearts.

The ideal theatre has…

The ideal theatre has wonderful, passionate people. It is a place that redefines what performance can be, using simple words to touch grand souls. It is a magical bridge connecting hearts, offering a spectacular story where you, the audience, get to champion the hero's journey!

Theodora PINTILIE | actress and the lady of ideas

What I love doing most of all…

What I love most is taking big leaps—over hurdles, out of my comfort zone, and straight into exciting adventures!

Prototip is…

Prototip is so magical it's hard to describe in just a few words. I think we put all of our heart into the main description!

The ideal theatre has…

The ideal theatre has space! (Room for everyone, a playful "playspace", parking space, a place in the city, and a place of honor. What other wonderful spaces can we find?)

Oana ȘCHIAU | manager and the jack-of-all-trades

What I love doing most of all…

What I love most is fussing over the little details! Why live a quiet life when you can put your heart and soul into making every tiny thing absolutely perfect?

Prototip is…

Prototip is living proof of how incredibly exciting it is to throw yourself into a creative spark and watch it grow—even if it's still finding its beautiful, final shape!

The ideal theatre has…

The ideal theatre has a lovely big courtyard, a cozy mini bar with delicious snacks, great music, fantastic people, passionate artists, friendly faces, amazing shows, and plenty of tissues for those tears of joy (or drama)!

Adelin TUDORACHE | actor and the boy with solutions

What I love doing most of all…

I love reminding myself of how much pure joy lies in simply being alive! Curiosity guides me through every single step of my creative journey—I am a true optimist at heart. I find so much happiness in creating, whether I'm acting, singing, or just brainstorming. I have a few secret getaways in nature that bring me peace and smiles, and what I love most of all is growing as an artist!

Prototip is…

Prototip was born from a beautiful thirst for discovery. We brought together a passionate team, diverse perspectives, one big dream, and countless hours of joyful exploration. With the wonderful support of the Reactor team, we embarked on a magical journey behind the scenes. All these fresh experiences and insights led us right to the glowing heart of Prototip!

The ideal theatre has…

My ideal theatre is charged with fantastic energy and a desire to connect, creating a continuous, beautiful dialogue with you, our amazing audience. It’s a place where quality and heart triumph over everything else—a theatre that needs me as much as I need it!

Ana-Maria ȚÎRLEA | director and the lady with the plan

What I love doing most of all…

What I love most is having that wonderful friend I can call in the middle of the night to say 'I have this brilliant idea!' and hearing them reply, 'Amazing, let's make it happen!'

Prototip is…

Prototip is that magical door you visualized when you were a kid, dreaming that one day it would open for you. Prototip is the door you proudly built with your own hands!

The ideal theatre has…

The ideal theatre is filled with wonderfully curious people who love what they do! It has the sweet flavor of a dream come true and the exciting smell of your very first successful recipe. It feels just like that incredible triumph after a challenging exam you worked so hard for—making you feel completely unstoppable!

THE PROJECT

Our company's very first project, Shakespeare and/or Us, aims to create a spectacular show based on a playful, in-depth study of Shakespeare's famous characters, woven together with the real-life personal stories of our actors. We want to get to the very heart of these characters and show that their passions and dramas are just like ours today—even if we don't wear Elizabethan collars in our daily lives!

Alongside this exciting production, we will be hosting wonderful personal development workshops for high schoolers focusing on the beauty of vulnerability. It’s a fantastic way for us to connect with our community, share personal stories, and build a creative bridge between teenagers, schools, and the magical world of theatre.

The goal of this project is to bring Shakespeare’s magnificent universe closer to the younger generation, sparking a lifelong love for culture and growing our wonderful theatre family! Through this adventure, we hope to inspire more people to explore the arts, enrich the cultural life of our cities, nurture young audiences, and bring active, playful drama workshops straight into schools!

Our team believes that this project is just the beginning of a beautiful journey to revisit classic playwrights, making their works accessible, fun, and engaging for everyone. We believe classic plays hold timeless moral lessons and brilliant character insights that are incredibly relevant today. We can’t wait to keep this project growing, unpacking great theatrical works in a fun and interactive way through our workshops and vibrant new shows!

Our company is absolutely thrilled to collaborate with other theatres across the country, freelance artists, and creative groups, proving once again that while the world changes, the human heart remains beautifully universal!

PHOTO GALLERY 

navigate_beforenavigate_next

The wonderful internship partnership between Reactor of Creation and Experiment and the Faculty of Theatre and Film is part of the project run by Babeș-Bolyai University, "Quality and Interdisciplinarity in the Practice of Babeș-Bolyai University Students in Cultural Management (CIP)", co-funded by the EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND, Human Capital Operational Programme 2014-2020 (POCU).