They had an awkward first date – and everyone was there to see it

WASHINGTON – A blind date is a simple enough concept. Two people who don’t know anything about each other sit at a table for two. They get to know each other over drinks, ask questions, laugh, maybe hit it off.
But what if your next blind date was in front of an audience?
Welcome to “Meet Cute,” a live blind-date-meets-improv comedy show, inspired by a similar show created by Stephen Sharp in Glasgow, Scotland. The gist: Two (prevetted) strangers go on a blind date with a live audience watching their every move. The date is split in two parts: the “hi, how are you, let’s break the ice” intros, followed by a second part where the daters ask each other audience-provided questions. Throughout, comedians perform improv comedy based on the date’s conversations. The whole thing lasts about an hour.
Random? Yes. Cringeworthy? At times. Entertaining? Mostly. Plus, it’s heartwarming.
“There’s a very small section of the populace that’s willing to be that vulnerable in front of people,” Sharp says. “And for me, that meeting of two people is magic. Two people, especially, they’re meeting for the first time, and you can really dial in to how they’re reacting.”
On a cooler-than-expected Tuesday night in October, Gaby Corcoran, 28, and Carolyn Clendenin, 31, met in the middle of the stage in a black box theater and traded demographic details and jovial jokes. The queer women sat at a folding table adorned with a tablecloth, napkins and plastic gold cups full of beer and seltzer, respectively. Sixty audience members crammed into The DC Arts Center, a true hole-in-the-wall venue in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. Some of us (including this reporter) sat in chairs alongside the stage. Courtside seats to a first date – jackpot for people watchers.
Erick Acuña, who produced the show, told us to imagine we were in a restaurant, and “you’re eavesdropping (on) a little bit of what’s happening.” Also no heckling, please.
Corcoran’s bright red cowboy boots and Clendenin’s striped, colorful crop top mirrored their effervescent personalities. The conversations proved wide-ranging, if not superficial. Corcoran (humbly) bragged about her cooking prowess making Venezuelan and Ethiopian dishes. Clendenin spoke of a theme party she hosted called “The Great Potato-Off,” where all guests had to bring potato dishes. Corcoran shared a story about buying shoes at a thrift store, only for the sole to come off the first time she wore them. She also told Clendenin about her not-so-nice dog, only to learn Clendenin is allergic. Important to know on date one!
Some audience questions: “Would you rather be considered not smart or not funny?” (Not smart.) “What is something that someone said to you on a past date that was a total deal breaker?” (Talking about the future on a first date.) “If you’re invited to go to Mars in six months, would you go?” (NO!)
Good insight:Is it a deal breaker? Most common relationship-ending conflicts.
Backing up: Why go on a blind date in the first place – let alone with people watching?
Corcoran actually participated in a previous iteration of this event after learning about it in a local improv Facebook group. “I had a great time the first time,” she says. “So why not?” (That date didn’t lead to a second one.)
The Washington resident loves “any kind of unique dating experience.” In her eyes, “it’s always a net positive, because even in a worst-case scenario, as long as nobody’s hurt, you get a good story.”
A friend sent Clendenin a social media post seeking single people to participate. The ultimate frisbee player and annual Halloween party host “really enjoy silliness and whimsy, and I thought that this would be a great way to go on a date.”
Hmm:From baby boomers to Gen Z, no one knows how to talk about sex. Here’s why.
All told, this go-round didn’t seem like a love connection.
“I thought the date was super fun. I didn’t think they were a good fit. … They seemed to have different interests and didn’t seem very excited about ones that the other brought up,” says Breana Echols, a 29-year-old volunteer coordinator in the city who attended the show with her boyfriend. That said, she’d totally go watch another one.
But who knows? Corcoran and Clendenin enjoyed meeting each other and would be down to go out again. Perhaps there’d be less pressure and space to dig into more personal questions.
“It’s definitely interesting to go on a date with someone when everyone is watching, so it’s always interesting to see what it would be like when it’s just the two of us,” Corcoran says.
Clendenin could see herself going on a live blind date again, too: “I like silly shows, so I would do it again, just for the experience of it. Do I think it’s – is it the way to find true love? I don’t know.”