Arts and Events Calendar

When the famously risk-taking experimental New York company announced that it was producing a stage adaptation of the first chapter of Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, it was rumored that the young theatrical innovators had finally lost their minds. The resulting production turned out to be the runaway Off-Broadway sensation of the 2008 season, as Elevator Repair Service’s masterful work illuminated with heartbreaking lucidity what is one of the most daunting passages in American literature. That mesmerizing opening section of Faulkner’s novel, “April Seventh, 1928,” wends its labyrinthine way though the decline of a Mississippi family, from the point of view of stunted man-child Benjy Compson — a deeply scarred mute who cannot tell past from present.

In bringing this dark tale to the stage, director John Collins and the 12-member troupe fully embrace Faulkner’s free-flowing language and his radically fractured, multilayered narrative technique. Multiple actors portray each character as the ensemble inhabits an eerily timeless family living room, using bawdy humor, pathos and jolts of high-energy choreography to build up an exhilarating, unforgettable theatrical experience.

The event will also include a post-performance discussion with the Elevator Repair Service company.

This trip is for current USC students only. You must use the provided transportation to participate. Space is limited, and advance registration is required. RSVP beginning Wednesday, September 17 at 9 a.m. Check-in for the event will begin at 1:15 p.m. on campus. Buses will depart at 1:45 p.m. and will return to campus at 6 p.m.

Lunch will be provided.