Culminating a collaborative 15-week experiment by three professors and 32 students, four stories from ancient Greece will be presented in a special two-night repertory.

Three of the stories are from "The Greeks," originally produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and acclaimed for its modern-language text by John Barton and Kevin Cavander, which forges the works of Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides into a single story whose action flows swiftly and smoothly.

The first bill, Iphigenia at Aulis and The Trojan Women from "The Greeks," opens the four-week-long event, with performances of Electra and Iphigenia in Taurus from "The Greeks" added a week later.

Audience members may opt to see the first bill or second bill only, attend both bills on two different days, or choose a "marathon Saturday" and see both bills in a single day with a catered Greek buffet dinner in between.

The Northridge production is the brainchild of artistic director James DePaul, chair of the university's Department of Theatre. DePaul directed a previous production of "The Greeks" to critical raves in Milwaukee, Wis.

For the Northridge show, DePaul, with co-directors J'aime Morrison and Kevin Wetmore, uses the texts as a springboard for a semester-long investigation into the production process.

"With this production, our students in every capacity will be fully immersed in Greek and contemporary theatre practices, from the literature to the design to the acting and performance," said theatre professor Garry Lennon, a costume consultant for the production.

Experts from across the campus have been enlisted to answer a variety of questions, such as "Is a full-size Trojan horse likely to appear on stage?"

"I personally prefer to use metaphor as opposed to symbol," answered theatre professor John Binkley, a respected scene designer, "because if I use metaphor then the audience can bring something of their own personal experience to it and it becomes so much more connected to them."

Iphigenia at Aulis and The Trojan Women from "The Greeks" will be presented on April 23-25, May 5, 7, 8 (at 3 p.m.), 13, 14 and 15 (at 3 p.m.).

Electra and Iphigenia in Taurus from "The Greeks" will be presented April 30, May 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 12, 15 and 16.

Marathon Saturday performances featuring both bills will take place at 3 p.m. on May 8 and May 15.

Curtain times are at 8 p.m., except Wednesdays, when they are at 7 p.m., and Sunday matinees, which begin at 3 p.m.

Tickets for each bill are $10 for students, $13 for seniors and $15 for the general public. Marathon Saturday tickets, which include both bills and a Greek dinner, are $38.80 for students, $44.80 for seniors and $48.80 for the general public.

Tickets are available through TicketMaster or the Associated Student Ticket Office, open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at (818) 677-2488.

The Campus Theatre is located in Nordhoff Hall on the southwest corner of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge. Parking is available in Lot B.

For more information, contact William Taylor, CSUN Theatre Manager, at (818) 677-3091 or william.taylor@csun.edu.