SAN DIEGO -- Sex, sex, sex is on the mind of playwright Erik Ehn, whose new work, Erotic Curtsies, has its world premiere Mar. 12 at The Ivy Substation, produced by Sun & Moon Press and Bottom's Dream theatre company. The director is James Martin.

Each section of the 12-play series delves into the poetic and erotic landscapes of myth, legend, folklore and religion as seen through a contemporary American lens.

"The plays explore sexual fantasies and fetishes of all kinds," said a company spokesperson. "The content is mysterious (imagine the Son of God going through puberty), dangerous (Patient Zero infects his own sexually abusive father), and fanciful. . . There's sex with a disgruntled postal worker, sex in mounds of ice cream, sex with insects and sex while spinning down a drain."

Portions of Erotic Curtsies have been workshopped in Seattle and at the Common Grounds Festival at UCLA. Last August Bottom's Dream performed Three Day Jesus at the American Living Room Series in New York at the HERE performance space.

Last March, Bottom's Dream commissioned and produced the world premiere of Mac Wellman's The Lesser Magoo at the Ivy Substation. The company is dedicated to presenting new works that explore theatrical forms and heightened language in performance. Sun & Moon Press is a division of the Contemporary Arts Educational Project, Inc., a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting American theatre as a literary form. Douglas Messerli is the editor and publisher.

Performances are through Apr. 11 at The Ivy Substation, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City. For tickets, $15, call (310) 231-0446.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent