Ever wanted to sit in on someone else’s first date? You'll get to do just that at The Blind Date Project, presented as part of the 2015 COIL Festival.

What is fun about the piece is that every single performance is different. The audience enters the back room of The Parkside Lounge (turned into a karaoke bar), sits down at typical bar tables, and read on the reverse side of the drinks list that the dialogue is entirely improvised by the performers. The only constant of the piece is Anna (Bojana Novakovic), who is waiting on a blind date, seated at the bar.

As the disclaimer states “Anna has no idea who she is about to meet. Every night her mystery date is a different person. Directions are sent to the actors via SMS and phone calls from Scott Rodgers, the director. No two shows are ever the same and what happens in entirely up in the air.” The piece, created by Bojana Novakovic and Mark Winter, is the concept of the Australian theatre group Ride On Theatre, and Novakovic cleverly plays on the few cultural and linguistic differences with her American dates.

As any blind date goes, it is awkward, it is funny and not everything that comes out of the two performers’ mouths is exactly as intended. It is amazing how honest people can be when meeting complete strangers and putting themselves out there knowing their date could judge or reject them. Being genuine and truthful is laid on the line with the hope they find someone who they like and likes them for who they are.

The night I saw the performance Anna was meeting another woman performed by Laverne Cox. Instantly both realize they have lied to each other, from the photo on their profile pages to the level of their homosexual experience. The “date” is transgender, just came out of a three-year abusive relationship, and is looking to try something different. Anna, who claims to be an open and proud lesbian, soon reveals that she is in fact married, has little experience in homosexual relationships and used to be part of a cult.

The pair play a few friendly get-to-know-you games, they choose songs to sing in the karaoke bar, and after constant shots of vodka they inevitably become very candid and very warm with one another. Both performers were entertaining, natural and very authentic in their delivery. Perhaps it is because they really were on a first date, regardless of what happens afterwards.