Purpose (play)

{{Infobox play

| name = Purpose

| image = Purpose_Playbill.png

| image_size =

| image_alt =

| caption =

| writer = Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

| chorus =

| characters =

| mute =

| setting = Chicago, U.S. Present-day

| premiere = 2024

| place = Steppenwolf Theatre Company

| orig_lang = English

| series =

| subject =

| genre = Drama

| web =

}}

Purpose is a stage play written by American playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. It premiered at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in 2023–24. The play is a family drama revealing the members of the black, politically prominent Jasper family.{{Cite web |title=Purpose |url=https://www.steppenwolf.org/tickets--events/seasons-/202324/purpose/ |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=www.steppenwolf.org |language=en}} It transferred to Broadway for the 2024–25 season at the Hayes Theater, and won the 2025 Tony Award for Best Play. In addition, five of the six actors received Tony Award nominations. It won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Synopsis

The fictional Jasper family, a prominent African-American family based in Chicago, reunite under the same roof under auspicious circumstances. Revelations occur as the parents and two grown sons (and partner/friends) attempt to define their value to each other and their identity within black culture and politics.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-25 |title=Chicago-inspired 'Purpose' explores fictionalized iconic Black family in blistering Steppenwolf production |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/theater/2024/03/25/purpose-review-steppenwolf-theatre-phylicia-rashad-branden-jacobs-jenkins |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Chicago Sun-Times |language=en}}

Notable casts

class="wikitable" text-align:center" ! rowspan="1" scope="col" \|Character !Chicago 2024 !Broadway 2025
Nazareth "Naz" Jasper \| colspan="2" align="center" \| Jon Michael Hill
Claudine Jasper \| align="center" \|Tamara Tunie \| align="center" \|LaTanya Richardson Jackson
Solomon "Sonny" Jasper \| colspan="2" align="center" \|Harry Lennix
Morgan Jasper \| colspan="2" align="center" \| Alana Arenas
Solomon "Junior" Jasper \| colspan="2" align="center" \| Glenn Davis
Aziza \| align="center" \|Ayanna Bria Bakari \| align="center" \|Kara Young

class="wikitable" text-align:center"

! rowspan="1" scope="col" |Character

!Chicago
2024

!Broadway
2025

Nazareth "Naz" Jasper

| colspan="2" align="center" | Jon Michael Hill

Claudine Jasper

| align="center" |Tamara Tunie

| align="center" |LaTanya Richardson Jackson

Solomon "Sonny" Jasper

| colspan="2" align="center" |Harry Lennix

Morgan Jasper

| colspan="2" align="center" | Alana Arenas

Solomon "Junior" Jasper

| colspan="2" align="center" | Glenn Davis

Aziza

| align="center" |Ayanna Bria Bakari

| align="center" |Kara Young

Production history

The play was commissioned by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and was workshopped in 2019 at the Colorado New Play Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. After additional readings and workshops, the play premiered as part of Steppenwolf's 2023–2024 season on March 14{{snd}}April 28, directed by Phylicia Rashad.

The production transferred to Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre as part of the 2024–2025 Broadway season, with producers David Stone, Debra Martin Chase, Marc Platt, LaChanze, Rashad Chambers, Aaron Glick and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. The production was not part of Second Stage Theater's season.[https://playbill.com/article/purpose-by-branden-jacobs-jenkins-directed-by-phylicia-rashad-will-play-on-broadway Playbill.com Purpose will play Broadway] accessed August 16, 2024{{Cite web |title=Second Stage Theater |url=https://2st.com/shows/season-46 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241112234332/https://2st.com/shows/season-46 |archive-date=2024-11-12 |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=2st.com}}{{Cite web |last=Kennedy |first=Lisa |date=2019-06-12 |title=In Colorado, Seeing New Plays Before They're Born |url=https://www.americantheatre.org/2019/06/12/in-colorado-seeing-new-plays-before-theyre-born/ |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=AMERICAN THEATRE |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2024-03-21 |title=Branden Jacobs-Jenkins births a Chicago political drama at Steppenwolf with 'Purpose' |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/03/21/branden-jacobs-jenkins-purpose-steppenwolf/ |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}

Reception

The production received positive reviews when it debuted at the Steppenwolf Theatre. Chris Jones of The Chicago Tribune described it as "explosive" dissection of the legacy of Jesse Jackson and his son Jesse Jackson Jr. amidst the latter’s 2012 arrest and conviction for campaign fraud. Jones also compared it to the Tracy Letts plays August: Osage County and The Minutes but added, "Purpose is its own thing, a brilliant moralistic satire, which sounds deadly but not with a writer who prizes agency, currency and, thank god, ambiguity".{{cite web|url= https://www.yahoo.com/news/review-purpose-intense-branden-jacobs-151000250.html|title= Review: 'Purpose' skewers the Jesse Jackson story — it's the explosive play Steppenwolf has been waiting for|website= The Chicago Tribune|date= March 25, 2024|accessdate= March 16, 2025}}

Accolades

class=wikitable
scope="col" style="width:3em;" \| Year ! scope="col" style="width:18em;"\| Award ! scope="col" style="width:26em;"\| Category ! scope="col" style="width:20em;"\| Nominated work ! scope="col" style="width:5em;" \| Result ! \| Ref.
style="text-align:center;", rowspan=20\| 2025 \| colspan="2" \|Pulitzer Prize for Drama \|Branden Jacobs-Jenkins \| {{won}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|{{cite web\|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2025 \|title = 2025 Pulitzer Prizes \|website=The Pulitzer Prizes \|language=en \|accessdate = May 5, 2025}}
rowspan="6" \|Tony Awards \|Best Play \| Branden Jacobs-Jenkins \| {{won}} \| style="text-align:center;", rowspan=6\| {{cite web\|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/2025-tony-awards-nominees-full-list-nominations-1236204935/\|title= 2025 Tony Awards: 'Buena Vista Social Club,' 'Death Becomes Her,' 'Maybe Happy Ending' Lead Nominations\|website= The Hollywood Reporter\|date= May 2025\|accessdate= May 1, 2025}}
rowspan="2" \|Best Leading Actor in a Play \|Jon Michael Hill \| {{nom}}
Harry Lennix \| {{nom}}
Best Leading Actress in a Play \|LaTanya Richardson Jackson \| {{nom}}
Best Featured Actor in a Play \|Glenn Davis \| {{nom}}
Best Featured Actress in a Play \|Kara Young \| {{won}}
rowspan="2" \| Drama Desk Awards \| Outstanding Play \| Purpose \| {{won}} \| style="text-align:center;", rowspan=2\|{{cite web\|title=Boop! Leads 2025 Drama Desk Award Nominations With 11 Nods Including Outstanding Musical; Read the Full List Here\|first=Logan\|last=Culwell-Block\|date=April 30, 2025\|url=https://playbill.com/article/boop-leads-2025-drama-desk-award-nominations-with-11-nods-including-outstanding-musical-read-the-full-list-here\|access-date=April 30, 2025}}
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play \|Kara Young \| {{won}}
rowspan="3" \| Drama League Awards \| Outstanding Production of a Play \| Purpose \| {{nom}} \| style="text-align:center;", rowspan=3\| {{Cite web \|last=Culwell-Block \|first=Logan \|date=April 22, 2025 \|title=2025 Drama League Awards Nominations Are Out; Read the Full List \|url=https://playbill.com/article/2025-drama-league-awards-nominations-are-out-read-the-full-list \|access-date=April 22, 2025 \|website=Playbill}}
rowspan="2" \| Distinguished Performance \| LaTanya Richardson Jackson \| {{nom}}
Kara Young \| {{nom}}
rowspan="5" \| Outer Critics Circle Awards \| Outstanding New Broadway Play \| Purpose \| {{nom}} \| style="text-align:center;", rowspan=5\| {{cite web\|title=Death Becomes Her Leads 2025 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations; Read the Full List\|first=Logan\|last=Culwell-Block\|date=April 25, 2025\|website=Playbill\|url=https://playbill.com/article/death-becomes-her-leads-2025-outer-critics-circle-award-nominations-read-the-full-list\|access-date=April 25, 2025}}
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play \| Jon Michael Hill \| {{nom}}
rowspan="2" \| Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play \| LaTanya Richardson Jackson \| {{nom}}
Kara Young \| {{nom}}
Outstanding Direction of a Play \| Phylicia Rashad \| {{nom}}
colspan="2" \|New York Drama Critics' Circle Award \|Branden Jacobs-Jenkins \| {{won}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|{{cite web \| url=https://playbill.com/article/maybe-happy-ending-purpose-win-new-york-drama-critics-circle-awards-see-the-full-list-of-winners \| title=Maybe Happy Ending, Purpose Win New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards; See the Full List of Winners }}

class=wikitable

scope="col" style="width:3em;" | Year

! scope="col" style="width:18em;"| Award

! scope="col" style="width:26em;"| Category

! scope="col" style="width:20em;"| Nominated work

! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Result

! | Ref.

style="text-align:center;", rowspan=20| 2025

| colspan="2" |Pulitzer Prize for Drama

|Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

| {{won}}

| style="text-align:center;"|{{cite web|url = https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year/2025 |title = 2025 Pulitzer Prizes |website=The Pulitzer Prizes |language=en |accessdate = May 5, 2025}}

rowspan="6" |Tony Awards

|Best Play

| Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

| {{won}}

| style="text-align:center;", rowspan=6| {{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/2025-tony-awards-nominees-full-list-nominations-1236204935/|title= 2025 Tony Awards: 'Buena Vista Social Club,' 'Death Becomes Her,' 'Maybe Happy Ending' Lead Nominations|website= The Hollywood Reporter|date= May 2025|accessdate= May 1, 2025}}

rowspan="2" |Best Leading Actor in a Play

|Jon Michael Hill

| {{nom}}

Harry Lennix

| {{nom}}

Best Leading Actress in a Play

|LaTanya Richardson Jackson

| {{nom}}

Best Featured Actor in a Play

|Glenn Davis

| {{nom}}

Best Featured Actress in a Play

|Kara Young

| {{won}}

rowspan="2" | Drama Desk Awards

| Outstanding Play

| Purpose

| {{won}}

| style="text-align:center;", rowspan=2|{{cite web|title=Boop! Leads 2025 Drama Desk Award Nominations With 11 Nods Including Outstanding Musical; Read the Full List Here|first=Logan|last=Culwell-Block|date=April 30, 2025|url=https://playbill.com/article/boop-leads-2025-drama-desk-award-nominations-with-11-nods-including-outstanding-musical-read-the-full-list-here|access-date=April 30, 2025}}

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play

|Kara Young

| {{won}}

rowspan="3" | Drama League Awards

| Outstanding Production of a Play

| Purpose

| {{nom}}

| style="text-align:center;", rowspan=3| {{Cite web |last=Culwell-Block |first=Logan |date=April 22, 2025 |title=2025 Drama League Awards Nominations Are Out; Read the Full List |url=https://playbill.com/article/2025-drama-league-awards-nominations-are-out-read-the-full-list |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=Playbill}}

rowspan="2" | Distinguished Performance

| LaTanya Richardson Jackson

| {{nom}}

Kara Young

| {{nom}}

rowspan="5" | Outer Critics Circle Awards

| Outstanding New Broadway Play

| Purpose

| {{nom}}

| style="text-align:center;", rowspan=5| {{cite web|title=Death Becomes Her Leads 2025 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations; Read the Full List|first=Logan|last=Culwell-Block|date=April 25, 2025|website=Playbill|url=https://playbill.com/article/death-becomes-her-leads-2025-outer-critics-circle-award-nominations-read-the-full-list|access-date=April 25, 2025}}

Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play

| Jon Michael Hill

| {{nom}}

rowspan="2" | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play

| LaTanya Richardson Jackson

| {{nom}}

Kara Young

| {{nom}}

Outstanding Direction of a Play

| Phylicia Rashad

| {{nom}}

colspan="2" |New York Drama Critics' Circle Award

|Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

| {{won}}

| style="text-align:center;"|{{cite web | url=https://playbill.com/article/maybe-happy-ending-purpose-win-new-york-drama-critics-circle-awards-see-the-full-list-of-winners | title=Maybe Happy Ending, Purpose Win New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards; See the Full List of Winners }}

References

External links

{{IBDB title|540198}}

{{Navboxes

|title = Awards for Purpose

|list =

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Category:American plays

Category:Plays set in Chicago

Category:2024 plays

Category:African-American plays

Category:Plays about race and ethnicity

Category:Pulitzer Prize for Drama–winning works