Repertorio Espanol in New York City will use a $900,000 grant from The Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fund to expand its education outreach and humanities programs over the next four years.
The country's oldest professional Spanish-language theatre was among 11 arts groups, including theatres, dance companies and fine arts museums, to receive grants totaling $8.2 million. Theatres honored with Leadership and Excellence in Audience Development Initiative (LEAD) grants include Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Montgomery, AL.; Alliance Theater Company, Atlanta, GA.; Cornerstone Theater, Los Angeles, CA.; Freedom Theatre, Philadelphia, PA.; and Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle, WA.
Gilberto Zaldivar, co-founder and executive producer of Repertorio Espanol, said the money will fund the troupe's education and outreach programs over the next four years.
Repertorio Espanol's grant is expected to be used the following ways, the company announced:
* To increase audiences through Cuban, Venezuelan, and Jewish Latin American theatre festivals; education outreach efforts. * For Humanities programs, including scholarly panel discussions.
* For tours to suburban areas where the Hispanic population is growing and changing.
Repertorio Espanol was founded in 1968 by Mr. Zaldivar and Rene Buch, the theatre's vice president and artistic director.
In 1972, the company moved to its permanent home at the Gramercy Arts Theatre on East 27th Street. The company performs several plays in repertory, all in Spanish with English translation.
The 11 arts groups honored with the LEAD grants were selected from a pool of 21 candidates.
-- By Kenneth Jones
