Tarragon Theatre to Launch 45th Season with BLIND DATE, Sept 8

Tarragon Theatre launches its 45th anniversary season with the international sensation BLIND DATE, created and performed by the award-winning Calgary-born Rebecca Northan. Returning to Toronto after critically acclaimed runs across Canada, London's West End, New York City and elsewhere in the U.S., Northan's hilarious hit show runs Tuesday, September 8 to Sunday, October 4 in Tarragon's Mainspace. (Media Night Sept. 9)

BLIND DATE opens in a little French café where Mimi sits and waits for a blind date. When he fails to show up, she turns to the audience for someone brave enough to answer Love's call. What happens next is anybody's guess, and different each night. This unscripted, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants adventure is one saucy, daring and entertaining evening out.

How did this home-grown international hit begin? "BLIND DATE started out as a 10-minute piece that Artistic Director Tina Rasmussen commissioned for the Spiegeltent at Harbourfront Centre's World Stage Festival in 2007," says creator Northan. "At the end of the summer I was left with the question, 'What if we took the time to get to know the guy and turned this into a full show?'"

BLIND DATE was then workshopped at the legendary Loose Moose Theatre in Calgary, AB, where Northan did her improv training, and then returned to World Stage in 2009 and again in 2010. It was picked up by Broadway producer, Kevin McCollum (RENT, Avenue Q), and premiered off-Broadway in 2010.

There are currently five different women trained to play the role of "Mimi" although Northan performed it herself for the New York City and London's West End tours. The first Tarragon performance on September 8th sees Mimi on her 400th date!

Rebecca Northan is an actor/director/playwright and revels in creating her own work. Aside from BLIND DATE, her other spontaneous theatre creations include Legend Has It, and two in development: An Undiscovered Shakespeare (Stratford Festival) and Undercover (Vertigo Theatre, Calgary). She is also an actor-for-hire and has worked across Canada, most recently at Tarragon Theatre in the world premiere of Morris Panych's Sextet. Rebecca has guest-hosted CBC-TV's This Hour Has 22 Minutes and is the winner of several Canadian Comedy Awards.

Christy Bruce is the Mimi Alternate and plays the lead role of "Mimi" for the matinees. Jamie Northan (Rebecca's brother) is the Stage Manager and Sound Improviser. The Scenographers are Christy Bruce and Kristian Reimer. Brandon Keliman is the Set Designer and Jason Hand is the Lighting Designer.

Tarragon Theatre presents the international hit BLIND DATE, created by and starring Rebecca Northan, with Mimi Alternate & Scenographer Christy Bruce, Set Designer Brandon Keliman, Sound Improviser Jamie Northan, Scenographer Kristian Reimer, and Lighting Designer Jason Hand. The show runs Tuesday, September 8 to Sunday, October 4, 2015 (Media Night September 9) Tarragon Theatre's Mainspace, 30 Bridgman Avenue, Toronto, playing Tuesday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2:30pm For tickets, call Patron Services at 416.531.1827 or visit www.tarragontheatre.com Tickets: $28-$60 (discounts for seniors, students, groups and artsworkers). Rush Tickets: For every performance excluding opening night, specially priced $15 Rush Tickets will be sold (subject to availability) in person at the Box Office two hours before show time.

Tarragon Theatre is one of Canada's most important arts institutions. For 45 years, Tarragon Theatre has created, developed and produced new plays by home-grown artists as well as significant works from the world stage, vitally contributing to the important legacy of a Canadian culture. Since its founding, over 190 works have premiered at Tarragon and over 500 scripts have been created and workshopped, receiving 34 nominations and 11 wins for the Governor General's Literary Award. Tarragon received the 2012 Premier's Award for Excellence in the Arts in recognition of producing and developing leading edge and thought-provoking Canadian Theatre, both nationally and on the world stage. Richard Rose has been the Artistic Director since 2002. Follow Tarragon on Twitter @TarragonTheatre for updates on rush ticket availability and special ticket offers. For more information visit www.tarragontheatre.com.

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