In the wake of the natural disaster, a stream of money, medicine and building materials poured into the area — helping some but also aiding some corrupt politicians and unethical businesses.

Americans would probably connect this description with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but it also could refer to what happened after the earthquake that struck Bolivia in 1998 and caused major damage to property and lives.

Corruption is widely considered an epidemic in the South American country, so much that it prompted the Teatro de los Andes company to produce plays that deal unflinchingly with the problem.

The troupe's 12 productions in the past 16 years, along with its development of other theater companies, has made it an influential cultural organization in Bolivia, yet Teatro de los Andes remains largely unknown to California audiences.

Two Los Angeles groups are hoping to change that.

Center Theatre Group, in partnership with FITLA (International Latino Theatre Festival of Los Angeles), will present the West Coast premiere of "En Un Sol Amarillo" on Friday at Culver City's Kirk Douglas Theatre.

The impetus to bring the play to Los Angeles came from Diane Rodriguez, a CTG associate producer, director of the company's New Play Productions and onetime director of the now-defunct Latino Theater Initiative.

"We miss the Latino Theatre Initiative," she said, "but we have found other ways to reach out to writers and artists, including a writers' group, and we have our L.A. Company Partnership, which brought the Robey Theatre Company's Permanent Collection' and John Rivera's Dogeaters' from Playwrights' Horizon to the Douglas.

"In January, I was at the Under the Radar Festival in New York," she said. "I had heard about this show ahead of time and I was taken by its visual elements and the story. The subject matter of earthquakes also made it right for Los Angeles audiences. As I was leaving the theater, Sandy Robertson of FITLA walked up, grabbed my hand and said, How can we make this happen in L.A.?'

"I talked to Michael Ritchie (CTG artistic director) and he could see my passion, so he said, Let's do it.'"

While finances make it difficult to import European productions, Rodriguez was pleased to discover that bringing in South American groups is more affordable — a fact that could lead to other future collaborations with theaters from that continent.

Also, working with FITLA should further address the CTG mandate to expand its audience base.

"We want to have a more varied audience, not just in ethnic terms but more variety in age and background," Rodriguez said.

The last show at the Douglas, "Clay," was a hip-hop solo show written by and starring a 22-year-old.

"En Un Sol Amarillo" will be the theater's first play performed entirely in Spanish with English supertitles.

These nontraditional plays may turn off some subscribers, but Rodriguez hopes instead it challenges them, as well as to invite newcomers.

"It's great that the play is in Spanish, but the main reason we are doing it is that it's good," she said.

Teatro de los Andes created "En Un Sol Amarillo" through extensive research. Firsthand testimonies were gathered. The Anticorruption Office shared investigations of the quake. And the history of other earthquakes was studied.

The performance includes voices from those affected by the quake as well as movement and music segments.

"Many big-budget shows use a lot of machinery to create magic and pizazz," Rodriguez said. "This company uses simple methods, such as a series of pulleys, but the magic is just as powerful.

"And audiences will see connections to Hurricane Katrina, how what has happened in Bolivia is happening now in our country."

E-mail freelance columnist Jeff Favre at jjfavre@yahoo.com.