About the Show

"I AM ANGRY. I AM HEARTBROKEN. BUT THE HEART OF A WOMAN BEATS FURIOUSLY IN A MILLION DIRECTIONS AT ONCE, EVEN WHEN IT'S SHATTERED INTO A MILLION PIECES."

To the U.S.-owned factories in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, La Ruta is just a bus. But to the women who live, work and often disappear along the route, it's so much more than that. Inspired by real testimonies, and using live music to evoke factory work and protest marches, La Ruta is a visceral unearthing of secrets buried in the desert and a celebration of the Mexican women who stand resiliently in the wake of loss.

Isaac Gómez is an award-winning Chicago-based playwright, originally from El Paso, Texas/Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. An important work from a powerful young voice, we are proud to feature the world premiere of Isaac Gómez’s La Ruta with Sandra Marquez in her Steppenwolf directing debut and an all-female cast of Chicago’s most dynamic Latinx artists.

From the playwright

“Every single woman in this play is based on a real person. And although some names have been changed for their protection, the violence they face and their resilience have not. I made a promise to these women that their stories would be heard by as many people as humanly possible, and through this world premiere at Steppenwolf, we are one step closer to keeping that promise -- to bear witness and carry their stories forward. As a queer Mexicano from the border, I owe my entire existence to Mexican women. This play is for them. Para todas. Para siempre.”