The production “an imperfect utopia” directed by Noémi Ola Berkowitz is the result of cooperation between TR Warszawa and Munich Kammerspiele theatre. “an imperfect utopia” (German: Eine unvollkommene Utopie) is a performance that touches upon the theme of binary division of the sexes as a cultural norm and, at the same time, a form of oppression. Performers and actors from both theatre companies will propose and analyse various ways of liberating themselves from this form.

Rehearsals for the show begin on 19 April at TR Warszawa. It will take the form of a several-day workshop with the participation of representatives of both teams – from Munich and Warsaw. The German premiere of “an imperfect utopia” will take place on 15 July at the Munich Kammerspiele theatre. The Warsaw premiere, on the other hand, will take place in autumn – on 21 October 2022 at TR Warszawa/Marszałkowska 8. The next shows in Warsaw will take place on 22 and 23 October 2022. We encourage you to follow our Instagram and the Munich Kammerspiele’s Instagram, where we will keep you updated on how the work on the show is progressing.

In this world in this world of meticulously constructed gender norms, do people even have a chance to be themselves? Is everything that has been instilled in us since childhood as “natural behavior” not only oppression for those who  deviate from cultural norms, but also a prison for us all?

Can we dream of a world without shame and stigma? With a love of freedom for all, instead of power for the select few?

These are the questions artists explore in the German-Polish performance project “an imperfect utopia”, directed by Noémi Ola Berkowitz. The ensemble – two actors from the Munich Kammerspiele, two actors from TR Warszawa, and one performer from the Ballroom community – will jointly research various strategies to shake off histories of oppression and problematic mechanisms. 

“an imperfect utopia” is an immersive theater evening in which performers and spectators draw close to one another. Not only social norms will be questioned, but also theatrical norms. The audience will be onstage with the performers and a DJ will design sound and drop beats live. The performance form, workshopped at the Sopot Non Fiction Theater Festival in 2021, is influenced by the underground drag performance and Ballroom scenes, where the line between spectator and participant is blurred. A hybrid of liberation and camp, of intimate confessions, queer theory and private enlightenment, of lies and truths, of various languages and their moments of failure – an evening in which impossible dreams emerge in all their extravagant glory!

Martyna Wawrzyniak (co-author of Heart, directed by Wiktor Bagiński)  will develop the text after a joint research with the ensemble, in which all the various perspectives come to light: City and country, Poland and Germany, dialogue and dance, public and private, shameful and proud, older and younger, binary and nonbinary… 

This production marks the first joint production created in the artistic partnership between TR Warszawa and the Munich Kammerspiele. Both theaters are committed to experimental exploration of new forms as well as contemporary material. “Die Wirklichkeit nicht in Ruhe lassen” – „do not leave reality alone“ – is the motto with which the Kammerspiele’s new artistic directing team began their work in 2020. “an imperfect utopia” is also a part of TR Warszawa’s season called “turn on the full spectrum” programmed as well along queer culture topics.

The performance ” an imperfect utopia” based on a text by Marta Wawrzyniak will be directed by Noémi Ola Berkowitz. Miriam Pleines is responsible for the set design, Florian Buder for the costumes. The performance will feature Stefan Merki and Edith Saldanha, an actor and actress from Munich Kammerspiele, as well as Tomasz Tyndyk and Justyna Wasilewska, an actor and actress from TR Warszawa. The show is produced on the German side by Stefanie Heublein and Miriam Plaines, on the Polish side by Magda Igielska.