Blind Date

Centaur Theatre / 50th Season

BLIND DATE

Spontaneous Theatre Creation 

by Rebecca Northon

April 9 - 28, 2019

Starring Rebecca Northan, Emma Brager, David Benjamin Tomlinson and Lili Beaudoin as Scenographer.

Blind Date, a comedy, is the closing play of the Centaur Theatre's 50th anniversary season (2018-2019). This is also a celebratory year for the Spontaneous Theatre Creation, their 10th anniversary season. Founded and created by the master improviser Rebecca Northan, the Spontaneous Theatre Creation performances had earned an acclaim in the on-stage theater world for it energetic, unpredictable stage enactments, where each night a different blind date encounter takes place.

A blind date partner is chosen from the audience. The play is about 90 minutes long, without an intermission, and the professional actor has to actively engage the "blind date" volunteer to support and navigate his untrained onstage presence. The clumsy, awkward moments have to be blazed over with the principle actor's acting skills, assuring the professionalism of each performance. 

Rebecca Northan's stage presence as Mimi is powerful and impressive. She makes the audience laugh. She is also tremendously skilled in making her volunteer "blind date" to navigate through the invented onstage story-line even when venturing into areas of discomfort.

In addition to the Mimi's principal onstage personage, a male sole principle actor was also added. Rebecca Northan stated:  

“… an audience member asked, ‘Would you ever do a queer version?’ and it’s in our nature to say, ‘YES!’”

You can see David Benjamin Tomlinson playing an onstage character Mathieu on Thursday nights April 11, 18 and 25.

Blind Date was originally commissioned as a 10-minute piece for the Spiegelshow at Toronto’s Harbourfront as part of World Stage. The full-length production has been touring since 2009 across Canada and the US, selling out in Toronto, on Broadway and in London's West End.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

Sunday Chat-Up

April 14 at 12:30pm

Join Lucinda Chodan, the Montreal Gazette's Editor-in-Chief, in conversation with Shôvàne Brisindi, from Clowns Without Borders, who will talk about her latest visit to Haiti. For over 20 years, Clowns Without Borders has been organizing shows and workshops for people affected by war, misery, or exclusion. This is also a free public event with refreshments provided by Bonaparte Restaurant.

 
Post-Show Talkbacks

Thursday April 25 and Sunday April 28

Audience members are invited to stay after the performances for insightful Q&A’s with these masters of improvisation and spontaneous theatre.
 
Saturday Salon

April 27 following the 2pm matinée in Centaur’s main floor gallery. Eda’s guest will be Rebecca Northan, creator and performer of Blind Date, which celebrates its 10-year anniversary and 800^th performance while at Centaur Theatre!  

For more information, visit the Centaur Theatre website.