Dates: 2026-08-28 - 2026-09-20
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).
For tickets and more information, visit the Alliance Theatre website!