Ganesh Versus the Third Reich
UMAC acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the unceded land on which we work. We pay respect to their Elders past and present, and their enduring traditions of knowledge sharing, performing and storytelling on this land.
Actors name
Chars name
UMAC presents
Ganesh Versus the Third Reich
Back to Back Theatre's legendary production returns
Union Theatre , Arts and Cultural Building
When
Auslan Interpreted Performance: Thursday 18 June
Post-show Artist Talk: Thursday 18 June
Where
Union Theatre
Arts and Cultural Building
The University of Melbourne
15 Monash Road, Parkville VIC 3010
Get Directions
After 15 years touring the world’s most prestigious stages, Back to Back Theatre’s legendary production finally returns to Melbourne.
The story begins with the elephant-headed god Ganesha travelling through Nazi Germany to reclaim the Swastika, an ancient Hindu symbol. As this intrepid hero embarks on his journey, a second narrative is revealed: the actors themselves begin to feel the weighty responsibility of storytellers, questioning the ethics of cultural appropriation.
Challenging the distinction between perception and reality, the show is made before our very eyes and takes on its own life. It invites us to examine who has the right to tell a story and who has the right to be heard.
Playing just three performances at UMAC, this exclusive return season is your only chance to catch Back to Back Theatre’s iconic work in Australia before it heads to Paris’ famed Festival d'Automne.
★★★★★
"Courageous, confronting, intelligent and magisterially considered theatre"
The Age
"Remarkable ... It’s a vital, senses-sharpening tonic for theatergoers who feel they’ve seen it all."
The New York Times
Best Theatre of 2012
"Unmissable viewing ... fearlessly interrogated prejudice and abuses of power"
The Guardian (UK)
"I've never seen anything like this show, because only Back to Back could make it. They are, simply, our most important independent theatre company."
Alison Croggon for Theatre Notes
Duration
Approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, without an interval.
Content Warnings
Patrons are advised that the performance of Ganesh Versus the Third Reich contains coarse language and adult
themes including violence and the Holocaust. The production is a work of fiction and does not purport to be an accurate representation of historical fact or scripture. Recommended for ages 15+.
Artist Talk
Join the artists for a free panel conversation following the performance on Thursday 18 June.
University of Melbourne student tickets
University of Melbourne students can access $28.95 (inclusive of $3.95 transaction fee) to this production. A valid University of Melbourne student ID will be required at the venue.
Accessibility
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Accessible toilet available
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Infared Hearing Assist System
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Companion tickets available
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Wheelchair accessible
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Registered assistance animals welcome
Back to Back Theatre is supported by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and the City of Greater Geelong.
About Back to Back Theatre
Based on Waddawurrung Country, in the Victorian regional centre of Geelong, Back to Back Theatre is widely recognised as an Australian theatre company of national and international significance. The company is driven by an ensemble of actors who identify as having an intellectual disability or as neurodivergent. The company considered one of Australia’s most important cultural exporters.
From 2009 to 2024, the company has undertaken 88 national and 130 international seasons of its work. This includes presentations and screenings at the world’s pre-eminent contemporary arts festivals and venues such as the Edinburgh International Festival, London’s V&A Museum and the Barbican, Vienna Festival, Holland Festival and Theater der Welt, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the Public Theater in New York, Festival Tokyo, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority in Hong Kong, and Buenos Aires International Festival.
Since 2009, we have delivered community and education workshops to over 34,000 participants, with a focus on artistic excellence and inclusive practice.
Back to Back Theatre has received 23 national and international awards including the 2024 Venice Biennale Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre, an International Ibsen Award, a Helpmann Award for Best Australian Work, an Edinburgh International Festival Herald Angel Critics’ Award, two Age Critics’ Awards, a New York Bessie and the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Group Award for our long-standing contribution to the development of Australian theatre. In 2015, Bruce Gladwin received the Australia Council for the Arts’ Inaugural Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatre. The ensemble were awarded the ‘Best Ensemble’ in the 2019 Green Room Awards.
Cast and Creatives
Devisors Mark Deans, Marcia Ferguson, Bruce Gladwin, Nicki Holland, Simon Laherty, Sarah Mainwaring, Scott Price, Kate Sulan, Brian Tilley, David Woods
Director, Devisor & Design Bruce Gladwin
Performed by Simon Laherty, Scott Price, David Woods and others
Additional Performance Georgina Naidu
Lighting Design Andrew Livingston, Bluebottle
Design & Set Construction Mark Cuthbertson
Design & Animation Rhian Hinkley
Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson
Mask Design & Construction Sam Jinks, Paul Smits
Translation Karen Witthuhn, Greg Bailey
Script Consultant Melissa Reeves
Additional Screen Performance Georgina Naidu
Costume Design Shio Otani
Creative Development Actors Brian Lipson, James Saunders, Sonia Teuben
Sound Engineer Byron Scullin
Stage Manager Alana Hoggart
Production Manager Bao Ngouansavanh
Company Manager Erin Watson
Producer David Miller
Also at UMAC
Into the Woods
A visceral new work by choreographer Melanie Lane that reclaims stories of women lost to witch hunts.
The Forest
Lucy Guerin Inc’s hallucinatory dance work ventures deep into the sentient heart of the forest.
See all upcoming events
After 15 years touring the world’s most prestigious stages, Back to Back Theatre’s legendary production finally returns to Melbourne.
The story begins with the elephant-headed god Ganesha travelling through Nazi Germany to reclaim the Swastika, an ancient Hindu symbol. As this intrepid hero embarks on his journey, a second narrative is revealed: the actors themselves begin to feel the weighty responsibility of storytellers, questioning the ethics of cultural appropriation.
Challenging the distinction between perception and reality, the show is made before our very eyes and takes on its own life. It invites us to examine who has the right to tell a story and who has the right to be heard.
Playing just three performances at UMAC, this exclusive return season is your only chance to catch Back to Back Theatre’s iconic work in Australia before it heads to Paris’ famed Festival d'Automne.
★★★★★
"Courageous, confronting, intelligent and magisterially considered theatre"
The Age
"Remarkable ... It’s a vital, senses-sharpening tonic for theatergoers who feel they’ve seen it all."
The New York Times
Best Theatre of 2012
"Unmissable viewing ... fearlessly interrogated prejudice and abuses of power"
The Guardian (UK)
"I've never seen anything like this show, because only Back to Back could make it. They are, simply, our most important independent theatre company."
Alison Croggon for Theatre Notes
About Back to Back Theatre
Based on Waddawurrung Country, in the Victorian regional centre of Geelong, Back to Back Theatre is widely recognised as an Australian theatre company of national and international significance. The company is driven by an ensemble of actors who identify as having an intellectual disability or as neurodivergent. The company considered one of Australia’s most important cultural exporters.
From 2009 to 2024, the company has undertaken 88 national and 130 international seasons of its work. This includes presentations and screenings at the world’s pre-eminent contemporary arts festivals and venues such as the Edinburgh International Festival, London’s V&A Museum and the Barbican, Vienna Festival, Holland Festival and Theater der Welt, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the Public Theater in New York, Festival Tokyo, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority in Hong Kong, and Buenos Aires International Festival.
Since 2009, we have delivered community and education workshops to over 34,000 participants, with a focus on artistic excellence and inclusive practice.
Back to Back Theatre has received 23 national and international awards including the 2024 Venice Biennale Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre, an International Ibsen Award, a Helpmann Award for Best Australian Work, an Edinburgh International Festival Herald Angel Critics’ Award, two Age Critics’ Awards, a New York Bessie and the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Group Award for our long-standing contribution to the development of Australian theatre. In 2015, Bruce Gladwin received the Australia Council for the Arts’ Inaugural Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatre. The ensemble were awarded the ‘Best Ensemble’ in the 2019 Green Room Awards.
Cast and Creatives
Devisors Mark Deans, Marcia Ferguson, Bruce Gladwin, Nicki Holland, Simon Laherty, Sarah Mainwaring, Scott Price, Kate Sulan, Brian Tilley, David Woods
Director, Devisor & Design Bruce Gladwin
Performed by Simon Laherty, Scott Price, David Woods and others
Additional Performance Georgina Naidu
Lighting Design Andrew Livingston, Bluebottle
Design & Set Construction Mark Cuthbertson
Design & Animation Rhian Hinkley
Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson
Mask Design & Construction Sam Jinks, Paul Smits
Translation Karen Witthuhn, Greg Bailey
Script Consultant Melissa Reeves
Additional Screen Performance Georgina Naidu
Costume Design Shio Otani
Creative Development Actors Brian Lipson, James Saunders, Sonia Teuben
Sound Engineer Byron Scullin
Stage Manager Alana Hoggart
Production Manager Bao Ngouansavanh
Company Manager Erin Watson
Producer David Miller
Also at UMAC
Into the Woods
A visceral new work by choreographer Melanie Lane that reclaims stories of women lost to witch hunts.
The Forest
Lucy Guerin Inc’s hallucinatory dance work ventures deep into the sentient heart of the forest.
See all upcoming events