A different date shows up each night. Anna/Medlock doesn't know who and neither does the audience. Performers signed up to play the dates include a who's who of the Auckland theatre and comedy scene: Antonia Prebble, Jonny Brugh, Oliver Driver, Madeleine Sami, Jamie Bowen, Michael Hurst, Nic Sampson and Fasitua Amosa among them.
To add to the unpredictability, there's no script and Goldberg directs the show in real time by mobile phone. Why mobile phone?
"Mobile phones can't be escaped today and have become an intrusive element in every social interaction," she says. "There's a good chance you'll arrive somewhere and the first thing you'll do is to put your phone down on the table and everyone who's there with you has to negotiate this thing with all its potential for intrusion.
"A date is about connectedness - or at least trying to forge a connection with a fellow human being - and now technology is about connectedness too so it's a way to look at the issue, to create a possible obstacle for the characters and the audience gets to think about who's on the other end."
Medlock had a basic idea of the concept behind The Blind Date Project but little idea of how it would work. She was allowed to watch footage from past shows - actors appearing in White Rabbit, Red Rabbit were told not to find out anything in advance - and there are some loosely defined set-episodes throughout.
She says it's more about getting an idea of how to sustain the show's momentum rather than a "what to say when and how" kind of guide. In addition, actor-singer Bryony Skillington plays a sassy karaoke queen who can comment or burst into song when required.
Goldberg meets individually with each guest actor to flesh out back stories for their characters. She says it must be something authentic, with as little embellishment as possible, which taps into the human sentiments The Blind Date Project explores.
"There's something really true to it. It's about trying to connect on an authentic level and how we try to do that in a world focused on appearance. Every single person wants to be liked, loved, to feel connected and to find their place.
"That's what all our work is about and that's what we like to explore. Watching this show is like watching true life - or it could be like watching a 'train wreck' depending on how the two characters get on."
The Blind Date Project owes its existence to the fact it could be performed without weeks of rehearsals and there was no script for its main character to learn. Goldberg and Ride On partner Bojana Novakovic were preparing a larger work for Melbourne's acclaimed Malthouse Theatre when Novakovic decided she hadn't been performed for some months and needed to get on stage.
With little time to spare, it had to be something which could be quickly devised and would take her out of her comfort zone. Novakovic and Mark Winter created the show in a matter of days with the mobile phone always a central part of it.
Goldberg, who directed, says it was borne out of necessity; very experimental and very exploratory. It was also popular; selling out, getting rave reviews and touring other Australian cities. It is now playing in Los Angeles with guest performances from the likes of Jason Alexander, Girls' Christopher Abbott, and Jorge Garcia from Lost.
Medlock is the first actor other than Novakovic to play Anna.
"Because there's so much unknown about it, it's almost as if you can't be freaked out because with something like this, you just have to jump in and get on with it," says Medlock.
"Performing is frequently about taking risks and, more often than not, that does pay off."
What: The Blind Date Project
Where and when: The Basement, November 4-29
