Thursday, April 16, and Friday, April 17, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. 

ADMISSION: 
Admission is free. Check back for reservation information.

To attend performances on other dates, please visit dramaticarts.usc.edu. 

DESCRIPTION: 
In partnership with the African Theatre Artistes Society (ATARS), the USC School of Dramatic Arts will present The Gods Are Not to Blame, Nigerian playwright Ola Rotimi’s acclaimed adaptation of Oedipus Rex that transplants the Greek classical play to an African kingdom in Yoruba, from Thursday, April 16, through Sunday, April 19, 2026.  

Visions and Voices is thrilled to provide complimentary tickets for shows on Thursday, April 16, and Friday, April 17. Each performance will be followed by a conversation with cast members and creators, moderated by USC professor and ATARS founder and artistic director Bayo Akinfemi.  

Bio: 

Bayo Akinfemi is an assistant professor of theatre practice at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. A two-time Best Actor Gemini Awards nominee, for Human Cargo and The Border, Akinfemi is currently a series regular on Bob Hearts Abishola, a CBS/Warner Bros. sitcom going into its fifth season, and is also the dialect coach and culture consultant for the show. Akinfemi’s acting credits include Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Criminal Minds, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Survivor’s Remorse. His credits as a director include an episode of Bob Hearts Abishola, a short film titled Rump, and Nollywood feature films Busted Life and Paparazzi: Eye in the Dark. He is also the founder and artistic director of African Theatre Artistes Society (ATARS), Los Angeles, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing a platform of artistic expression to artistes of African descent with the goal of bringing authentic African theatre to audiences in Los Angeles. 

Presented by USC Visions and Voices and the USC School of Dramatic Arts. Co-sponsored by the African Theatre Artistes Society.