Complete casting has been announced for the highly-anticipated Broadway transfer of Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s production of Tony Award-winner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ new play, PURPOSE, directed by Two-time Tony Award-winner Phylicia Rashad.
The Broadway cast of PURPOSE will feature Two-time Tony Award nominee LaTANYA RICHARDSON JACKSON (To Kill a Mockingbird, A Raisin in the Sun), HARRY LENNIX (TV’s “The Blacklist,” Broadway’s Radio Golf), Steppenwolf ensemble member JON MICHAEL HILL (Broadway’s Pass Over, Superior Donuts, Netflix’s “A Man in Full”), Steppenwolf ensemble member and Co-Artistic Director GLENN DAVIS (off-Broadway’s Downstate, King James), Steppenwolf Ensemble member ALANA ARENAS (The Bluest Eye, TV’s “David Makes Man”), and Tony Award winner KARA YOUNG (Purlie Victorious, The Cost of Living, Clyde’s).
Alana Arenas, Glenn Davis, Jon Michael Hill, and Harry Lennix all appeared in the play’s acclaimed world premiere at Steppenwolf in March 2024.
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Appropriate, The Comeuppance), and directed by Phylicia Rashad (Skeleton Crew, A Raisin in the Sun) in her Broadway directorial debut, PURPOSE will play a limited 19-week run at the Helen Hayes Theater (240 West 44th street), beginning previews February 25th, officially opening on March 17th, and running through July 6, 2025.
A pre-sale with TodayTix begins Monday, December 9th and can be found Purpose Tickets | New York | TodayTix. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, December 12th at Purposeonbroadway.com.
PURPOSE was commissioned by and had its World Premiere on March 24, 2024 at Chicago’s legendary Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where it received rave reviews. The production sold out its initial engagement and extension weeks, becoming one of the highest-grossing shows in Steppenwolf’s nearly 50-year history.
The production received three 2024 Equity Jeff Awards (Chicago’s equivalent of the Tony Awards): Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding New Work (Branden Jacobs-Jenkins), and Outstanding Director of a Play (Phylicia Rashad).
PURPOSE is produced by David Stone, Debra Martin Chase, Marc Platt, LaChanze, Rashad Chambers, Aaron Glick, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company.