As part of its 34th season, Off-Broadway's Repertorio Espanol is beginning a project devoted to showcasing plays about the Jewish-Latin American experience. Four productions and twelve readings are promised over the next three seasons, with playwrights hailing from Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil.

The Festival of Jewish Latin-American Theatre kicks off Oct. 11 with Eduardo Rovner's Volvio Una Noche ("She Returned One Night"), running through Oct. 28. Directed by Alejandro Samek, the Dybbuk meets-Marquez piece tells of a dead Jewish mother returning from the tomb to check out her future daughter-in-law. Teatro Andamio 90 will coproduce the play with Spanish Rep.

For the second festival offering, Nov. 8-18 brings singer-storyteller Cipe Lincovsky to the stage in a one-woman show of music, dance and poetry. To ice the poly-ethnic Kosher cake, one of the performances will be given entirely in Yiddish.

Like Cocteau Rep, shows at Repertorio Espanol usually run in a modified repertory, with several plays (Chronicle of a Death Foretold, La Gringa) turning into perennials. As such, Chronicle (aka Cronica de Una Muerta Anunciada) returns this season, as does Jorge Gonzalez's comedy Vieques and the gay-meets-straight comedy Fresa y Chocolate.

Operating since 1968, Repertorio Espanol presents new and classic plays (e.g., Lorca, Marquez) in Spanish, very often with English translation available via headsets. The theatre also presents theatre companies from around the Latin-American world, as well as participating in various community outreach programs, such as "Dignidad!", which introduces young people to Hispanic theatre and culture. Tickets range from $25-$40 depending on the show. Certain discounts apply. The Gramercy Arts Theatre is located at 138 E. 27 St. (between Lexington and Third Avenues). For reservations, call the box office at (212) 889-2850 or visit www.repertorio.org.

—By David Lefkowitz
and Murdoch McBride