Back to Back Theatre’s landmark productionGanesh Versus the Third Reichreturns exclusively to UMAC

UMAC, part of University of Melbourne Global, Culture and Engagement, has announced the exclusive 2026 return season of Ganesh Versus the Third Reich, one of Australia’s most internationally acclaimed theatrical works.

Premiering at the Melbourne International Arts Festival in 2011, the production has toured more than 34 cities worldwide and earned major accolades including a Helpmann Award for Best Play, an Edinburgh International Festival Herald Angel Critics Award, three Green Room Awards and The Age Critics’ Award at Melbourne Festival. Back to Back Theatre has since become the first Australian company to receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre at the 2024 Venice Biennale, following their 2022 International Ibsen Award win, often described as the ‘Nobel Prize for Theatre’.

UMAC’s presentation continues its commitment to supporting significant Australian works that challenge audiences and expand the boundaries of contemporary performance.

Ganesh Versus the Third Reich is a poignant, disarming and deeply reflective work that invites audiences to consider who has the right to tell a story and who has the right to be heard. The narrative follows the elephant‑headed god Ganesh as he journeys through Nazi Germany to reclaim the Swastika, an ancient Hindu symbol. Running parallel is a second storyline in which the actors confront the ethical weight of authorship and cultural appropriation.

The production unfolds in real time, revealing the mechanics of its own creation while exploring complicity, human possibility and hope.

Back to Back Theatre’s Artistic Director Bruce Gladwin said, “Returning Ganesh Versus the Third Reich to Melbourne after this time feels significant. At its core it’s a piece about agency, about authorship, authority and representation and it continues to hold us to those questions.”

Based in Geelong, Back to Back Theatre is internationally recognised for creating contemporary performance driven by the ideas and lived experiences of its ensemble of actors with a disability. Their work gives voice to social and political issues that resonate across communities.

Virginia Lovett, Director Performing Arts University at UMAC, added, “It has been 15 years since Melbourne audiences experienced this landmark production. Ganesh vs The Third Reich went on to tour over 30 cities globally and galvanise Back to Back Theatre as one of Australia’s great cultural exports. I am thrilled to be able to program it for UMAC’s 2026 season before the company heads to Paris for the prestigious Festival d’Automne.”

Ganesh Versus the Third Reich will play exclusively at UMAC in June 2026. Tickets are available now via umac.melbourne and Ticketmaster.