In a world consumed by chaos live minds consumed by chaos. The painful rhythm of contemporary life places us in a constant struggle between balance and disorder. Perfect Chaos is an experimental, psychophysical two-hander in which Richard and Kuba — a creative duo whose collaboration began while studying at Aberystwyth University in Wales — use performance as a way of asking how to live in times that make functioning increasingly difficult.
They take on the roles of Alby and Goblin, who form an unlikely friendship and decide to change the rules: instead of trying to silence chaos within themselves, they choose to accept it and see what happens when they stop treating it as something that needs to be fixed.
It can feel as though the systems and structures of our world have become increasingly skilled at capitalising on our attention and our time, pulling us away from our own goals while constantly producing new stimuli. Like in so many dystopian visions, they numb us and overfeed us with dopamine, making it harder and harder to focus on what we actually want and who we want to become.
At the same time, they demand that we suppress our internal chaos — everything that refuses to fit neatly within order, productivity, discipline and predictability. Because in their understanding, chaos is a threat. In ours, chaos is human.
Richard Dannenberg is a British-German interdisciplinary artist who works between theatre, music, screen & installation. The topics they deal with include (but are not limited to) neurodivergent experiences, dystopia, the environment, water stories and technological hubris. They also work as a facilitator, having a passion for creating communities of artists of all media and backgrounds - and are currently creative director of the GrAFiTi Student Festival.
Kuba Pawelczak is a Polish movement director, butoh artist, and theatre maker based in London. Trained at the New Butoh School under Sayoko Onishi, he works across butoh, physical theatre, and psychophysical practice, creating embodied languages that illuminate the emotional and psychological lives of characters. He collaborates regularly with director Haonan Wang, including on City Being Erased at Theatre503. His credits also include Brazil (NSDF2026, the Curve), Stunted (Camden Fringe 2026, CPT), Unspoken (Camden Fringe 2026, WAC Arts), and other independent productions. Alongside his collaborative practice, he creates and performs original butoh solos, including Hanaji, You’re Someone’s Son, and his most recent work, Study of the Numinous.
A-festival is an international theatre festival organised by Tartu Student Theatre, bringing together local and international theatre companies in Tartu from 8–11 October. This year's programme features Tartu Student Theatre's "Devil's Stories," London-based artists Zuza Kurko and Kuba Pawelczak's performance "Dead Truths," dance theatre GrAFiTi's performance "A Perfect Chaos," T-Theatre's "A Distant Light from Luyten," FinnBrit Players' "1984," and Jordi L. Vidal's movement piece "The Crossing." All performances and activities take place at Tartu Student House (Kalevi 24).
The festival is supported by: the City of Tartu, the University of Tartu, and the Estonian Cultural Endowment.
Tartu Üliõpilasmaja MTÜ • Kalevi tänav 24, 51010 Tartu, Tartu maakond, Estonia
