‘The idea was always there to organise something like this,’ says Meike van Benthem (23) on behalf of the Theatercafé team. ‘It even goes back as far as when the Theatercafé was still in the Bastille. But unfortunately, it was never organised. Finally, we found the right time to do this.’
More male than female students
The team is happy about the surprisingly high turnout: more than fifty students signed up for the speed-dating event, which is now sold-out. ‘There are a few more male than female participants, so the women will stay on their seats while the men will rotate for the 3-minute-long dates - which is a common timeframe for speed-dating,’ explains Van Benthem. ‘Besides that, we will try to make sure this will be a fun night for everyone, even if they might not find a good match.’
Broader range of students
If this turns out to be a success, speed-dating may even become a regular event at the Theatercafé. And, although it’s not the case yet with this first speed-dating event, it might also be targeted at the LGBTQ community, says Van Benthem. ‘I think our location is very nice and cosy and it matches the concept. It’s something else than Tinder. At the moment, most of our guests are from the culture associations. We want to start targeting a broader range of students with events like speed-dating, but also pub quizzes or craft beer nights.’
