Purpose

Name: Afterwords: PURPOSE
Start: 2026-09-19T14:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-09-19T17:00:00-05:00
Location: Coca-Cola Stage

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

Best enjoyed by audiences ages 15 and up.

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).

Contains some explicit language; depicts drinking and suicide ideation and attempt; addresses topics including race, incarceration, neurodivergence, mental health, sexuality, and reproduction.

Cast & Creative Reviews Media Events Venue

Pulitzer Prize Winner

Tony Award Winner

Coca-Cola Stage

$An ornate oval mirror with a cracked surface reflects a silhouette on a checkerboard floor, set against a stormy sea and cloudy sky background—inviting reflection on the purpose behind each fractured image.$

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

AUG 28 – SEP 20, 2026

Purchase Tickets

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

Best enjoyed by audiences ages 15 and up.

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

Contains some explicit language; depicts drinking and suicide ideation and attempt; addresses topics including race, incarceration, neurodivergence, mental health, sexuality, and reproduction.

Cast & Creative Reviews Media Events Venue

Cast & Creative Team

Writer

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Playwright

Director

A man with short curly hair and a salt-and-pepper beard wears a white shirt and silver jewelry, sitting against a plain light background.

Keith Arthur Bolden

Director

A man with medium-length dreadlocks, a beard, and a light green shirt smiles at the camera against a plain white background.

Denzel Taylor

Associate Director, Kenny Leon Fellow

Creative

Sotirios Livaditis

Scenic Design

Ben Rawson

Lighting Design

Shilla Benning

Costume Design

A man with short curly hair and a mustache, wearing a black turtleneck, looks toward the camera with a neutral expression against a plain background.

Rasean Johnson

Sound Design

Curved, parallel white lines form an abstract pattern on a blue-green gradient background.

Dwight Andrews

Composer

Cast

A middle-aged man with short hair and a gray beard, wearing a green zip-up sweater over a white shirt, poses against a gray background.

Jerome Preston Bates

Solomon Jasper

A woman with short curly hair, wearing a black spaghetti strap top, poses against a plain dark background, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression.

Veanna Black

Morgan Jasper

Donna Biscoe

Claudine Jasper

Thomas Neal Antwon Ghant

Junior Jasper

A woman with long, wavy dark hair and clear skin looks directly at the camera, wearing subtle makeup and gold earrings.

Victoria Omoregie

Aziza Houston

A man with short hair and a beard, wearing a white and blue striped shirt, looks directly at the camera in front of a concrete wall.

Travis Turner

Nazareth Jasper

Understudies

Robert Connor

Solomon Jasper

A woman with dark braided hair in a bun, wearing a pink off-the-shoulder top and pearl earrings, rests her chin on her hand and looks at the camera.

Sheri Gilbert-Wilson

Claudine Jasper

A person with curly hair wearing a red top, resting their face on their hand, looks at the camera against a dark gray background.

Ashlee McNeill

Aziza Houston

A woman with long, braided hair smiles at the camera, wearing a black and white top and multiple earrings in her left ear.

Brittani Minnieweather

Morgan Jasper

A person with short curly hair and a neutral expression stands against a light blue background, looking directly at the camera.

Roderick Whitney

Nazareth Jasper

Charlie Thomas

Junior Jasper

Crew

R. Lamar Williams

Stage Manager

A person with long curly hair, wearing a black sheer top and a lanyard, stands indoors with arms crossed, smiling slightly at the camera.

Phoebe Sweatman

Assistant Stage Manager

Myah Harper

Stage Management Production Assistant

Special Events

Beyond the Stage

List
Month

September 2026

An ornate oval frame with a silhouette of a figure on a checkered floor, set against a stormy background. Text reads “PURPOSE afterwords.”.

Afterwords: PURPOSE

2:00 pm

Coca-Cola Stage 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA, United States

Free with Ticket

Afterwords: PURPOSE

2:00 pm

Coca-Cola Stage 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA, United States

Free with Ticket

Afterwords: PURPOSE

2:00 pm

Coca-Cola Stage 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA, United States

Free with Ticket

From Page to Stage

Headshots of six actors with their character names from "Purpose" are set against a dark background, featuring the word "PURPOSE" and a framed mirror at the center to reflect the show's central theme.

Meet the Cast & Creative Team

PURPOSE Awarded 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Access for All

Special Pricing for Teachers, Teens, Veterans & Groups

Affordable theater is part of our promise to make the arts accessible to all.

We believe everyone should have the chance to experience live theater – no matter the budget. From student discounts and group rates to limited-time offers and special access programs, there are plenty of ways to see a show and save.

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Teen Tickets

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Tickets for Teachers

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Veteran Tickets

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Group Tickets

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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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