Having a blind date can be very stressful — from thinking about what to wear and say, to
awkward silences and thoughts of escape. Now imagine having a blind date every night.
For actress Renée Amber this is reality: in the improv theatre show Blind Date, Amber plays Mimi, a partisan clown with a red nose and a flirty French accent. When her date doesn’t show up, Mimi picks an audience member.
The show is created by Rebecca Northan and was successfully mounted across North America and in London’s West End. So, how does Mimi find the right guy for Blind Date? “At first I mingle with audience, and chat with them before the show starts,” she says.
“I pick the candidate intuitively, someone where I can feel a spark. I do it like you would meet a man at a party, and I pick a guy I find interesting.” Every show is unique, depending on the man she chooses.
“I understand when people are nervous,” Amber says. “It is just normal and okay to be nervous on a blind date. I just tell my date: be yourself. It is actually good, if the person is shy or nervous, that makes it real.”
During the play she reacts to her counterpart, makes him feel comfortable and works with what the man offers. “I am open to what the date suggests, and then I just go with it. Anything can happen.
“The motto of the theatre company is, ‘Anything my date partner does is right, so there is no doing wrong on stage.’” How do the candidates feel after the Blind Date? Do they want to stay in contact? “Some people stay in touch with us and feel like they have joined an exclusive club,” Amber says.
She tells about a show in Denver, when her date was recently divorced. “At first he was cynical, but during the play he really opened up,” she says. “After the show, he came with us for a drink and told us that he hadn´t had a date in a long time.” So the show can be a good practice for the next date.
The show runs from March 4 to March 6 at 8 p.m. at the Yukon Arts Centre. Tickets will be nearly 50 per cent off the regular adult price on March 4. ($15/each instead of $28/each)
For those attending the March 5 performance at 8 p.m., there are opening receptions for two new gallery exhibitions that complement Blind Date fantastically – both shows focus on relationships and breakups.
On Friday, March 6, there will be two performances of Blind Date: one at 8 p.m., and a special “late night” show at 11 p.m.
