We’re reconnecting. One story, one community, one train stop at a time.
We are The Connecting Routes Project.
Founded in 2019, The Connecting Routes Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit touring company
that strives to connect communities around the nation through shared storytelling.
We tour a variety of big-hearted and innovative productions by train
from Chicago to towns connected to us by regional and national rail lines,
while exchanging stories with our audiences through community storytelling programs.
We are America’s railway touring theater company.
Stories connect us.
The Conductors
are back On tour!
This summer, Kerfuffle’s The Conductors is back on tour and bringing the magic train to Bloomington-Normal, thanks to a partnership with Illinois Art Station.
There will be two performances
and a creative drama workshop
on June 4, 2024.
Please Consider a donation!
Your generous (tax-deductible!) donation will help us connect with communities across the nation and support our artists.
Announcing our 2022 illinois tour, may 2-14!
This spring, we’re thrilled to partner with Kate Marie Smith’s beautiful play, One Woman Hamlet, as she works to Shake(speare) the stigma surrounding mental health! Dates and venues for live performances have been announced, along with a virtual stream of the film! Learn more here!
round Trip:
virtual Story circles
Round Trip: Virtual Story Circles invites community members from all around the world to gather together and share stories in a safe, welcoming and virtual space! Learn more at the Share Your Story page!
The conductors september 2021
All aboard the magic train! Our first tour leaves the station this fall, touring September 17-28, 2021 with FREE performances throughout the Chicagoland area!
We’ll be travelling on the Metra Regional Rail, and arriving at a train stop near you! This original and magical play, created with Kerfuffle, will delight children 6 and under along with their families at 4 different libraries and museums!
Action Statement
As The Connecting Routes Project launches, we find ourselves in a unique and ideal situation as a new nonprofit to welcome new ways of being and new visions as an inclusive and interconnected theater collective. We have detailed our values of accessibility and what actionable items we commit to make immediately and in our developing years.
Stories Connect Us: LIVE!
Our first ever fundraiser, was broadcast live on Facebook, Saturday May 16, 2020! Hosted with Kerfuffle and featuring artists we love, this hour(ish) family-friendly broadcast was packed with stories, songs, puppets, and more; while officially launching our DonorBox campaign for The Conductors! Check out the full broadcast below!
livestreamed read alouds!
At the beginning of the pandemic, we began a livestream series with Kerfuffle, reading our favorite stories aloud for our friends on Facebook and Instagram! This continued for over a month, and so many beautiful stories were shared! Here is one of our favorites, Mixed: A Colorful Story by Arree Chung which we brought back for our fundraiser event!