In February I took in a little show called Blind Date as part of the High Performance Rodeo. I was entertained so much that I immediately purchased tickets for closing night for myself and friends. Prior to the show, I had a brief interaction and kiss on the cheek from the show's star, Mimi the Clown.

“I can't believe you came back!” she said in her adorable French accent.

“I wish I could have come five times,” I replied with heartfelt honesty.

“Don't we all wish we could!” she replied, laughing as she swept away to scout out her potential date for the evening.

Behind Mimi the clown is Calgary's Rebecca Northan. The multi-talented actress has appeared in Calgary shows like Robin Hood at Alberta Theatre Projects and Evil Dead: The Musical from Ground Zero Theatre/Hit and Myth productions. She has performed at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival's World Improv Games and has been featured in TV shows like The Joe Blow Show, Alice I Think, Queer as Folk, and This Hour has 22 Minutes - just to name a few. The woman is TALENTED and someone for Calgary to be very proud to call our own (even if she now lives in Toronto). Calgary recognized this recently, presenting her with a Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding Performance By An Actress In A Comedy Or Musical in Blind Date.

“I was nominated last year for Evil Dead so this was my second nomination, and my first win,” Northan said over the phone. She was unable to attend the awards but kept track of the happenings. “I had spies who were sending constant text messaging updates. I was in a bar on Church Street. I just ordered another glass of wine; that was my reaction. It was great, nice to be recognized by your home community. In the event that I won, I had something I wanted read so the Betty was accepted for me.”

Blind Date returns to Calgary for four shows only, September 27th - 30th at Loose Moose Theatre. Tickets are available online at the Vertigo Box Office. The show is a fundraiser for Northan's next project coming up this spring – Kung Fu Panties – which was born out of her submission to this year’s 10 minute play festival at the rodeo.

Some may ask why a company like Ground Zero/Hit and Myth would need a fundraiser when they have had smash hits like Evil Dead and Urinetown to their credit.

“Kung-Fu Panties...is going to be a very large production with a big cast, which is very expensive. You can be doing successful shows but most theatres are not-for-profit. I don't know any theatres that have extra money in the bank. We have big plans for Kung-Fu Panties and people cost money. I think it is amazing when a majority of the budget goes to personnel. Blind Date started out as a 10 minute piece and got great crowd reaction, and then so did Kung Fu Panties. So hopefully it will work again.”

The show’s premise is simple. Mimi has been stood up for a date, and selects a man from the audience to go on a date with her in front of a room full of people. The choice is entirely at random and what unfolds on stage ranges from hilarity to honest emotion.

“The only way for the show to work is for me to have a structure. I am guiding this person through a tried and true experience. Because it is improvised and I don't know how they are going to react, I am always willing to let go of my structure and go where that person wants to go and always be adjusting things. It is still terrifying every night, it feels like really going on a date. I think, I hope they like me, I hope we have a good time together, I hope I make them comfortable and we find things to talk about. I am not acting any of that stuff. Somebody way smarter than me needs to watch the show and do some analysis on it and tell me what is going on. The show is still young and I am still discovering things about it.”

Northan has notched 35 dates in her belt, ranging from reserved guys just taking it slow to stripping down to their underwear for a full on make out session.

“Whether they take their clothes off or make out, that is secondary to my favorite thing about doing the show - when the guy relaxes and is having a good enough time that he opens up and we get to see who he is. That is really amazing and the thing that draws people in. The whole premise behind the show is that I really believe there is something to fall in love with about everybody, and I am trying to uncover what that is.”

Another interesting variable is when the “date” has a girlfriend or wife in the audience. In both shows that I saw, they did, which lead to an interesting dynamic as they often checked with their partner in worry of going too far.

“It depends on the couple. I don't purposefully look for people with a partner but if it happens I know it is an element of the show I need to pay attention to and be respectful towards. I am not there to make anyone look bad in any way or upset people. It is always about keeping aware and paying attention to that person. It adds a different dynamic when they know their wife is out there. People realize that the show is in good fun and no one is going to go home with a clown at the end of the show.”

This may also be your last chance to see the show in Calgary. It has been picked up by a producer in New York City.

“Knock on wood! I have an intent-to-produce contract with a New York producer. The show is in his hands. The meek Canadian in me is like, I'll believe it when it happens but in the meantime I am enjoying the ride of day-dreaming about, oh my God, what if I actually go to New York, that would be crazy?! When I was a student at UofC I never thought, gee I really hope I go to Broadway someday because in my mind Broadway means musical theatre. I am not really a musical theatre person, I am an actor who sings [and] there are way better singers and dancers than me. When I did the show in Toronto a year and a half ago someone asked me, what are your dreams for the show, and I jokingly said, I want to go to Broadway and laughed about it in a self-deprecating way. A woman in the audience said, don't laugh about it. From your lips to God's ears it's going to happen.  And I was in talks with a New York producer six months later. He is a very busy producer and I am hoping I am next on the list. We have been tentatively talking about the fall but I feel like New York is a moving target. I don't know that world at all in finding a venue and getting your ducks in a row.”

Even over the phone Rebecca is charming and fun. The vibrant energy that brings her onstage character to life - in any show - has made her into such a staple for the Canadian theatre scene. One can't help but find themselves smitten with Blind Date. I am incredibly disappointed to be out of town when the show runs, as I would certainly love to come with Mimi four more times. You, however, have the chance to see the show. See it for your first time, or come back for a new experience each time.

“If this show does go to New York and is successful you will want to be someone who saw it ahead of time before it got expensive. Even at the fundraiser prices, it is still a bargain because ticket prices in New York are astronomical. When I did the show for the second time around in Toronto in March there were people in the audience who had seen it five times. I was like, you have to stop coming! Why would you come and see a show five times, I've never heard of that in the theatre! I am not sure why people keep coming back. There is the interest of watching somebody go through a situation or experience unprepared. I like to think I am really showing, look at this guy, look what we love about him. It feels like when I am up there and the show is working well it feels like the audience is falling in love with that guy. That to me is amazing, what a privilege to have that experience with another human.”