CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Igniting Desire
A theatrical exploration of how desire transforms as we age
Dance Naked Creative, Portland’s original sex-positive theater company, is seeking submissions for Igniting Desire, an intimate staged reading featuring diverse stories of women's sexuality, desire, and embodiment past 50.
We're moving past tired narratives of decline and loss. We're interested in how desire transforms with age - how it becomes more elusive, more discerning, more surprising. How menopause, hormones, and lived experience reshape and evolve our erotic lives.
WHAT WE'RE SEEKING
Theatrical submissions that are erotic, unashamed, and wildly original. We are looking for material that both leaves us aroused, inspired, and full of possibility.
Generally, the form we are seeking will take the form of a monologue, but we are open to other formats as well (dialogues and prose).
We're interested in personal revelations, mythical reimaginings, flights of fantasy, and anything that surprises us. Maybe you're writing "Are You There Goddess? It's Me Margaret"—a midlife reckoning with desire. Maybe it's Grandma and the Wolf with a very different ending than the fairy tale promised. Perhaps you're exploring the pleasures of outercourse - what happens when penetration isn't the destination? You might reimagine the Greek goddess Baubo and the power of vulva-revealing laughter, or offer a pro-sex (rather than sex-withholding) retelling of Lysistrata. Maybe you spent years chasing orgasm and found peace in abstinence. Maybe you graduated from "sex kitten" to "cougar" and discovered you had sexual power all along. Or maybe it's something we haven't even thought of yet, and that's exactly what we want.
WHO CAN SUBMIT
We welcome submissions from writers of all genders. Selected pieces will be performed by a cast of self-identified women ages 50-90+.
We're interested in diverse viewpoints on women's desire, sexuality, and embodiment as we age—whether writing from personal experience, observation, imagination, or intimate knowledge.
Writers are welcome to remain anonymous or be celebrated by their chosen nom de plume. Your chosen name will appear in performance credits and on your video recording.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Format: Monologues preferred (but other formats considered)
One submission per writer
Maximum length: 2000 words
Deadline: March 17, 2026 (earlier submissions encouraged)
Notification: All applicants will receive a response by March 20, 2026
COMPENSATION
Selected authors will receive a professionally produced video recording of their work brought to life on stage by a professional actor—a unique opportunity to see your words performed and preserved. Financial compensation will be a percentage share of ticket sales, with a minimum amount of $25.
PERFORMANCES
Igniting Desire is part of the 2026 Fertile Ground Festival
DATES: April 15, 18, 19, 2026
VENUE: Intimate 40-seat venue, Portland, Oregon