The World We Create
Exploring queerness through the act of creation.
Queerness has never been passive. We create our identities. We create our communities. We create the language, the spaces, the aesthetics, and the stories that make room for us in a world that doesn’t always offer it freely.
What are you building? What are you making? What is your art bringing into existence that didn’t exist before you made it?
The World We Create is an invitation to explore the creative act itself — not just as subject matter, but as a queer practice. This show asks artists to go inward and come back with something made: a movement, a sound, a story, an image, a world.
We’re not looking for a particular answer. We’re looking for artists willing to sit with the question — and then do something about it.
This process may feel less like a traditional audition and more like a collaborative work session. We are interested not only in what you perform, but in who you are, how you make work, and what you might bring to the larger experience of the Spectacular.
We also invite you to speak briefly about yourself and your art. You do not need to prepare anything formal. We may ask questions such as:
- How does your art shape the world we create together?
- What feels true to you in your work right now?
- How does your queerness shape what you create — and what you create with?
- What does the act of making feel like in your body, your voice, your movement?
- What world are you building toward — and what does it look like from the inside?
- What are you making room for that didn’t have room before?
We want to acknowledge that simply showing up matters. Your presence, your willingness to share, and your being in the room with us is meaningful. That does not go unnoticed.
Artists who audition will invited to be included in a collective mural and tableau that will become part of the final performance, honoring the full community that gathered to imagine this world with us.
Artists may audition in person or by video submission.
In-person auditions are held on 15-minute intervals between 7:30 PM and 9:30 PM on each audition day — April 27and 28, 2026. Auditions will be held at Resound NW, Located at 1532 SW Jefferson St, Portland OR 97201. Perform an existing piece that reflects your interpretation of The World We Create. Register in advance to secure your time slot.
Submit a recording of an existing piece — a previous performance at another event or a rehearsal recording is welcome. Submitted work should align with the theme or your interpretation of it.
The Spectacular is multidisciplinary by design. All performance forms are welcome.
Portland Queer Arts Foundation celebrates and affirms queer and trans artists of all races, ethnicities, genders, abilities, and experiences. We strongly encourage BIPOC, AAPI, trans, nonbinary, disabled, and other historically marginalized artists to apply.
