Tale With a Warning : The musical drama ‘Grace’ studies the relationship between men and women, the breakdown of the family structure and alcoholism.

It’s 1940s New Orleans at the West End Playhouse, where Timia Kitani and Erik Jaziz’s musical drama “Grace” opens Tuesday.

“It’s about the rift between black women and men, alcoholism, the collapse of the black family structure--which leads to the denial of the child,” says Kitani, 23, who is directing a cast of eight, ages 18 to 25. The piece, which features original music, takes place in the fictional B Flat nightclub and centers on a young woman who wants to become pregnant, and her husband’s opposition to this.

Co-writer Jaziz, who is playing the recalcitrant spouse, Bryce LeBlanc, thinks his character will be instantly recognizable to audiences.

“Bryce could be found anywhere in society,” says the actor, 25. “He’s somebody you’d watch on television: an arrogant individual, an alcohol abuser, non-communicative, unwilling to compromise or communicate. But I think there’s hope for him. There’s hope for everyone, with hard work and faith in God.”

Most of all, Jaziz sees the piece as a cautionary tale. “It makes you see which way not to go,” he explains. “If you see something like this in theatrical form, you can take it and relate it to real life.”

Kitani and Jaziz met as students at Cal State Northridge, where, she says simply, “I saw a real need for black art on campus.”

The couple--now engaged--began collaborating on this play during the summer of ‘92, and subsequently formed their on-campus company, the Black Theatre Ensemble. (All of the members of the cast are CSUN students; Kitani, who is a few credits short of a degree, dubs herself a “borderline graduate.”) In June, “Grace” had one performance at CSUN’s Little Theatre.

Los Angeles-born Jaziz, an art major at the university, hopes that the run at the West End will lead to more networking within the young, black arts community. “I’d like to make connections with fellow artists at other universities and arts institutions,” he says, “as far as doing plays, establishing a black theater ensemble on their campuses.”

Kitani notes that she and Jaziz specifically set the piece in the ‘40s because of her affinity for the big-band and jazz sounds of that time. “But we’re also thinking of updating it,” says the South Carolina native, who came to California as part of the National Student Exchange program and decided to stay. “I think it would work just as well as a modern story. The themes are universal; everyone relates to the story line. People can take from it whatever they want.”

Where and When What: “Grace.” Location: West End Playhouse, 7446 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys. Hours: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, indefinitely. Price: $7. Call: (818) 885-2024.