“Purpose” won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama earlier this month and is nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play. Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins won a Tony last year for Best Revival of a Play for his drama “Appropriate.” Jacobs-Jenkins is also known for his plays “An Octoroon,” “Everybody” and “Gloria.”
Host Ruthie Fierberg, executive editor of Broadway News, chatted with the scribe about writing the play and more.
“Purpose” is an ensemble play first commissioned and developed by Steppenwolf Theatre Company. It follows the fictional Jasper family, led by patriarch Solomon Jasper, who was influential in the Civil Rights Movement. Directed by Phylicia Rashad, the play is currently running in a limited engagement at Broadway's Hayes Theatre.
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Photo credit: Louis McCartney as Henry Creel in “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” on Broadway; photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Photo credit: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins attends the 77th Annual Tony Awards Meet The Nominees Press Event at Sofitel New York on May 02, 2024 in New York City. Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
