Grief and love of cake unite characters in ‘Blackwater Departure' at Centenary

Hackettstown - Inside the basement walls of a backwoods community center, a quirky cast of characters meet once a week to share dessert and denial, in Therese Kunz’s new play, “Blackwater Departure,” part of the Centenary Stage Company Women Playwrights Series on Wednesday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. In the weekly meetings, which often revolve more around the dessert table than the topic of bereavement, group facilitator Joan deftly steers her members into their comfort zones, until two new members, Nadine and Berg, arrive on the same day with their own agenda. A mysterious twist reveals a secret which shocks them all in this often comic drama about relationships, death and cake. Therese Kunz’s original plays have been developed at the Minneapolis Playwrights Center and have been performed at a number of Minnesota theatres. She has designed and implemented drama and fine arts programs in area schools for the past ten years, founding Screen Porch Productions, Inc., a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to providing area communities with education and opportunity in the performing, visual and literary arts. She is also the founder of the literary quarterly, The Porch Light, showcasing poetry from the community. A poet and painter for over twenty years, Kunz resides in the northern lakes area of Minnesota with her husband Kirk and thrives on the solitude and beauty of the north woods. Admission to the Women Playwrights Series is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested. Refreshments and a lively discussion with the playwright and cast follows the presentation. For more reservations and information contact the CSC Offices at 908-979-0900, or visit CSC online at www.centenarystageco.org. The WPS is made possible in part through the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, American Airlines (the official airline of the Centenary Stage Company) and CSC Members and sponsors.