GANESH VERSUS THE THIRD REICH (In Development)
GANESH VERSUS THE THIRD REICH is, an exploration of cultural appropriation in all forms, be it the theft of symbols, icons, rituals, aesthetic standards, or behaviour from one culture or subculture by another. Taking in the territories of nationalism, globalisation, multiculturalism, religion, spirituality and pop-culture, its single linear narrative is presented as a hero’s journey.
The narrative tells of the Hindu elephant-headed God Ganesh's epic journey to Nazi Germany to recover the ancient Hindu symbol, the Swatstika, from Hitler. As the journey progresses, the ethics, morality and responsibility of presenting such a narrative becomes an issue of debate by the presenters of the work. The further Ganesh travels, the more enmeshed the presenters of the work become in the politics of appropriation. In form the work seeks to utilize multiple, layered examples of cultural appropriation as a means of commenting on the thematic.
At the 42nd annual AWGIE Awards in August 2009, Back to Back Theatre was awarded the Kit Denton Fellowship for GANESH VERSUS THE THIRD REICH. The purpose of the fellowship is to promote courage, to champion bold and challenging ideas and to reward talent and excellence in performance writing.
The Company will continue to develop GANESH VERSUS THE THIRD REICH in 2010.
For more information about GANESH VERSUS THE THIRD REICH contact Back to Back's Executive Producer, Alice Nash