Purpose

What happens when the stories we tell about ourselves start to unravel?

By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Keith Arthur Bolden
A co-production with McCarter Theatre Center

In Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the Jasper family is gathering for a long-overdue reunion. For decades, they’ve been the embodiment of Black political power and public virtue – a dynasty of ministers, activists, and changemakers whose legacy has shaped generations. But when a young outsider arrives with questions no one is prepared to answer, carefully guarded secrets begin to surface.

Over the course of one unforgettable evening, old wounds reopen, loyalties are tested, and the truth threatens to upend everything the family has built. At once biting, hilarious, and deeply human, Purpose asks what we owe our families, our communities, and ourselves.

Celebrated playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Appropriate, An Octoroon) delivers a thrilling, sharply observed drama about legacy, faith, and the courage it takes to confront the truth. This gripping and darkly funny drama has been described as “a thumping, riveting, guns-blazing, major new American play” (New York Daily News) that is “unstoppably fierce, funny, and ruthless!” (New York Post).

Cast & Creative     Reviews     Venue


Pulitzer Prize Winner
Tony Award Winner

Coca-Cola Stage

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An ornate oval mirror with a cracked surface reflects a silhouette on a checkerboard floor, set against a stormy sea and cloudy sky background—inviting reflection on the purpose behind each fractured image. An ornate oval mirror with a cracked surface reflects a chess piece—like father, like son—standing on a checkered floor, set against a stormy sea and cloudy sky backdrop.
The word "PURPOSE" is displayed in large, gold, serif capital letters with a subtle shadow effect against a white background, emphasizing the importance and clarity of purpose.

Winner of the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama


SEP 4 – 20, 2026

What happens when the stories we tell about ourselves start to unravel?

By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Keith Arthur Bolden
A co-production with McCarter Theatre Center

In Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the Jasper family is gathering for a long-overdue reunion. For decades, they’ve been the embodiment of Black political power and public virtue – a dynasty of ministers, activists, and changemakers whose legacy has shaped generations. But when a young outsider arrives with questions no one is prepared to answer, carefully guarded secrets begin to surface.

Over the course of one unforgettable evening, old wounds reopen, loyalties are tested, and the truth threatens to upend everything the family has built. At once biting, hilarious, and deeply human, Purpose asks what we owe our families, our communities, and ourselves.

Celebrated playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Appropriate, An Octoroon) delivers a thrilling, sharply observed drama about legacy, faith, and the courage it takes to confront the truth. This gripping and darkly funny drama has been described as “a thumping, riveting, guns-blazing, major new American play” (New York Daily News) that is “unstoppably fierce, funny, and ruthless!” (New York Post).

Cast & Creative     Reviews     Venue

Cast & Creative Team

Writer

“a thumping, riveting, guns-blazing, major new American play”

New York Daily News

“unstoppably fierce, funny, and ruthless!”

New York Post

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Coca-Cola Stage

The Coca-Cola Stage is 650-seat, state-of-the-art proscenium theater. This facility offers patrons an intimate, comfortable, and sound sensitive environment, and is home to the Alliance’s Coca-Cola Stage Series.

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Come Curious. Leave Changed.

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