Grand Theatre Presents BLIND DATE on the Spriet Stage

The Grand Theatre is thrilled to present on the Spriet Stage BLIND DATE, a Spontaneous Theatre Production created by and starring Rebecca Northan. This unscripted, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants adventure has entertained audiences in sold-out houses from Manhattan to London's West End. The Title Sponsor for BLIND DATE is London-based McCormick.

BLIND DATE opens in a little French café where Mimi (Northan) sits and waits for her blind date. When he fails to show up, she turns to the audience for someone brave enough to answer love's call. But it's not a cold call. Rebecca and her team mingle with patrons in the lobby before the show, in search of the perfect 'Date.' Once found, and with full consent of the participant, the show begins, the Date is invited up on stage, and what happens next is anybody's guess.

Neil Genzlinger of the New York Times called BLIND DATE, "Fearless...and very funny," and The Toronto Star declared it "Absolutely magical."

BLIND DATE began in 2007 when Harbourfront Centre's World Stage Festival commissioned it from Northan. In 2010, Broadway producer Kevin McCollum, renowned for his success with Rent and Avenue Q, premiered BLIND DATE Off Broadway. The show has since toured to sold-out theatres across the U.S., London's West End, Canada, and more recently at GCTC and Tarragon Theatre.

"The orig­inal was really just a short, sweet, simple, flirtatious sketch, but it went so well, I wondered what would happen if we expanded it and took the time to really get to know the Date. My training as an improviser taught me to say 'yes' and to follow the impulse to take the next most obvious step. That was nine years ago. BLIND DATE has grown from a short, ten-minute clown turn, into the full-length version," said Northan.

BREWED WITH LOVE!

In celebration of BLIND DATE, Title Sponsor McCormick commissioned London-based microbrewery Forked River to create a custom Belgian Witbier brewed with Billy Bee Honey and Club House spices. Coined Honey Love, this limited edition brew, with BLIND DATE poster art wrapping the can, will be available during the run exclusively at the Grand and across the street at The Church Key Bistro-Pub.

BLIND DATE is on stage at the Grand Theatre for a limited-time engagement from February 13 to March 3, 2018. Tickets are $29.95 to $84 (includes HST and CIF - prices subject to change) and are available at www.grandtheatre.com, by phone at 519-672-8800, or at the Box Office, 471 Richmond Street.

The Grand Theatre gratefully acknowledges the support of the 2017/18 Season Sponsor BMO Financial Group.

About the Grand Theatre:
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Dennis Garnhum and Executive Director Deb Harvey, the Grand is a leading cultural hub proudly located in the heart of downtown London, Ontario. The Grand offers diverse, relevant, and original stories from around the globe through collaborations with national and international performing arts organizations and is committed to developing, producing, and premiering original homegrown stories through COMPASS, a New Play Development Program. The Grand supports educational programming and youth mentorship such as The High School Project, the only program of its kind in North America, and 100 Schools, a new community initiative that brings professional theatre to London-area schools in 2018 at no cost.

A not-for-profit regional theatre, the Grand produces and presents professional theatre on two stages: the Spriet Stage (839 seats) and the McManus Stage (144 seats). The Grand's season runs from September to May.

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