Set in contemporary New York City, SHORTBUS explores the lives of several characters living in present-day New York as they navigate the comic and tragic intersections between love and sex. Male and female, straight and gay, the characters find one and other - and eventually find themselves - when they all converge at a weekly underground salon called "Shortbus," a mad nexus of art, music, politics, and polysexual carnality. Mitchell developed the film's story along with his ensemble cast, all of whom are making their feature film debuts and who were selected after submitting videotaped interviews/auditions in response to a well-publicized open casting call posted on a website. Over a half million people visited the website and nearly 500 people sent in tapes before the final seven leading performers/characters were selected to workshop the storyline with Mitchell.