With Valentine’s Day approaching, love is easily at the forefront of our minds, and that’s true whether we’ve got the romantic sort or not. On V-Day (or “Singles Awareness Day,” if you please), even the happiest singles generally can’t help but feel at least slightly insecure and allow that often-dangerous question to surface: “Why am I still single?” In fact, it’s probably safe to say that many of us Austinites wish we had someone to have and to hold just about as much as we wish we could enjoy breakfast tacos and live music 24/7. So, a lot.
If that’s you, then here’s the good news: we have just found the perfect Date* for you.
See, according to the US Census Bureau, there are roughly 105 million unmarried people living in the United States. The amount of folks who are currently not dating is a little harder to quantify, but some experts estimate the number to be around 54 million. Of that group, around 41 million folks have tried online dating. Now, if you’ve ever looked for love online, you know that it’s something of a mixed bag. Some people find their perfect matches immediately, while others get bad date after bad date after bad date after bad date…
Do you believe in love at first site? Photo: Courtesy of Date* Real Online Love Affairs (Off The Record)
Luciann Lajoie gets it. She’s been there.
That’s why she’s written a hilarious yet insightful story about one woman’s journey to find love online, based on Lajoie’s own personal experiences and those of the 250 online daters that she interviewed. DATE* Real Online Love Affairs (Off The Record), she calls it. The Long Center’s got the show running from February 3 to 8 only, so you’d better hurry if you want in — and trust us, you do want in.
“The show is absolutely relatable to anyone who has ever dated or looked for love, which is pretty much all of us,” Lajoie told Austin.com. “It’s a story about letting go of expectations and learning to love, appreciate, and value what is right in front of you. Letting go of expectations is a powerful and beautiful — and hard as hell — thing to do and sharing stories communally is an important and fun way to gain perspective and achieve that.”
Date* is a multi-media, one-woman production starring Lajoie herself. Throughout the show, Lajoie will be surrounded by a filmed and projected Greek Chorus of fellow internet daters as she explores the complexities of internet dating through the lens of addiction. Once an online dating addict herself, Lajoie began writing Date* four years ago at the suggestion of her mother.
“I had been internet dating after moving home to Denver from London and after a few teary conversations and a few giggles she said, ‘You should do a show about this!'” Lajoie said. “Two hundred and fifty interviews, two directors, an entire re-shoot of filmed footage, several re-writes and a major re-structure, and four years later, we are due to run this version in Austin at The Long Center and could not be more excited.”
Lajoie is a Colorado native. She boasts graduate degrees in both theater and psychology and is especially fascinated by the interplay between the two, such as in the way that acting can be therapeutic. Date* will run from February 3 to 8 at the Long Center — at 7:30 p.m. on Feb 3, 4, and 5; at 8:00 p.m. on Feb 6 and 7; and at 3:00 p.m. on Feb 7 and 8. You can purchase tickets, which start at $27.50, online or at the box office.
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Featured photo: Courtesy of Date* Real Online Love Affairs (Off The Record)
