Ambling down Trousdale Parkway Sunday morn when the campus hath not risen from its peaceful slumber, thou can’t help but noticeth a gathering of youthful scholars in front of the regal Doheny Memorial Library with picnic blankets, Trader Joe’s snacks and, most importantly, their copy of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.” Launched in September, USC’s “Shakes” Club, the first-ever student-run Shakespeare club on campus, spends their Sundays bonding over Shakespeare’s works through readings, discussions and even arts and crafts.

Co-founders and presidents of the “Shakes” Club Arya Desai, a senior majoring in theatre and journalism, and Lillian Mollo, a senior majoring in theatre, poured their love for Shakespeare into creating a club that allowed everyone from enthusiasts to actors to curious readers to learn more about this literary legend.

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Interacting with Shakespeare’s plays in middle school and high school helped Desai and Mollo not only foster their passion for acting but also learn how Shakespeare encourages actors to push the societal and emotional boundaries of his characters.

“I was always really intrigued by Shakespeare because I always wanted to be an actor. ‘Twelfth Night’ was the first one I ever read in seventh grade … and I fell in love with it,” Desai said. “It has an interesting look at gender and the way you are treated differently when you are a woman in society versus a man. I think the female characters in it are allowed to be funny … but [they] also get to have serious moments.”

Meanwhile, Mollo started to connect with the power of Shakespeare’s words when she acted in a production of “Hamlet” during her senior year of high school.

“We did a production of an all-girls ‘Hamlet,’ and it was a life-changing experience when I realized that Shakespeare was written in a secret code for actors,” Mollo said. “The bond that cast had was just beyond everything, and I think that’s what got me hooked on acting in general.”

In search of creating a similar bond with Shakespeare lovers and learners in college, Desai and Mollo decided to create the “Shakes” Club, especially after seeing students’ enthusiasm during a class on Shakespeare’s works that theatre majors often take.

“I noticed that there was a missing piece where I knew a lot of students who were also interested in approaching Shakespeare,” Mollo said, “not just in [a] performance sense or anything competitive, but just as a place to have fun and enjoy the work as actors and as enjoyers of Shakespeare.”

Lee Shallat Chemel, an adjunct lecturer in the School of Dramatic Arts, who teaches Shakespeare, advises students who want to dip their toes into Shakespeare’s works to approach his texts from the perspective of an actor in order to better understand his language and feel less intimidated.

“[Outside the academic setting] is the only way to engage with Shakespeare. It doesn’t mean that you have to be very conscious and understanding [of the work] at the granular level. Shakespeare never wrote his plays to be read, they were always meant to be performed,” Chemel said. “Engaging with the text is to hear it aloud.”

Realizing how learning Shakespeare in an academic setting can often feel disengaging for students since the language in his plays is not always easy to comprehend, Desai and Mollo wanted to create a fun and casual environment that encouraged students to read and perform Shakespeare’s works with excitement rather than stress.

“What we really try to do in meetings is make sure that it’s a comfortable, informal environment, essentially like a Shakespeare in the Park. When we read together, we’ll stop after each scene and talk about it,” Desai said, “We’re not in a classroom setting; there’s not the pressure of feeling you need to understand. It levels the playing field, so people can feel like they can ask questions.”

With members voting to read Shakespeare’s 1605-6 tragedy “King Lear” for the rest of the semester’s club meetings, Desai and Mollo led a roundtable reading of the play every week with each member taking on the role of a character. As a group, they discuss the complexity of Shakespeare’s characters and even consider how his stories and language can be modernized.

As new members start joining the club for their Sunday morning meetings, Desai and Mollo have been both surprised and excited to meet fellow students, who are just as enthusiastic about Shakespeare and their personal connection to his texts as them.

“One of the great things that I’ve taken out of [the “Shakes” Club] is a renewed sense for my love of Shakespeare and validated it to see that [others] really care about it as much as we do, if not even more. I’m learning from [our members], so it’s been beneficial for me as well,” Desai said.

One of those members has been Gigi Calcagno, a junior majoring in theatre with an emphasis in acting who looks forward to spending Sundays with the “Shakes” Club. Developing a personal connection with Shakespeare’s works from middle school, Calcagno cites Shakespeare as playing a seminal role in shaping her as an actor and a human.

“I’ve learned an incredible amount about voice and movement and technique and stage combat and character analysis. Even if you’re not an actor, I think Shakespeare’s characters are incredibly well-rounded, fleshed-out human beings,” Calcagno said. “If you approach the stories with an open mind and open heart, you can find things that resonate with you and your life.”

When Calcagno heard about the “Shakes” Club, she was elated, as she had looked for a Shakespeare club ever since her first semester at USC.

“I was so happy to see other people who shared my passion and were so enthusiastic … about talking about Shakespeare in a very casual, friendly space,” Calcagno said.

With the end of the semester approaching, Desai and Mollo are planning to host a Shakespeare showcase, where students from all majors and backgrounds can perform and present one of Shakespeare’s monologues, scenes or sonnets. Eventually, the presidents hope to organize productions of Shakespeare’s plays to create an opportunity for acting and non-acting majors alike to perform.

“At the end of the day, it’s our ultimate goal to allow a space for people to practice Shakespeare and to put it up,” Mollo said, “because the writings were meant to be played, as opposed to just read.”