The Alliance Theatre welcomes Atlanta audiences to PURPOSE, the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play by acclaimed playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Directed by Keith Arthur Bolden, the powerful and provocative production runs August 28 through September 20, 2026, on the Alliance’s Coca-Cola Stage.
Set against the backdrop of a prominent Black family, PURPOSE explores the complicated intersections of family, faith, politics, legacy and identity.
The Jasper family has spent decades representing Black political power and public virtue. Led by a respected family patriarch, the Jaspers have built a legacy as ministers, activists and changemakers. But when a young outsider arrives with questions that challenge the family's carefully constructed story, long-held secrets begin to surface.
What follows is a funny, painful and deeply human examination of what families inherit—and what they choose to pass on.
“PURPOSE asks what we owe our families, our communities, and ourselves,” according to the Alliance Theatre.
A Stellar Cast
The Alliance has assembled an accomplished ensemble for the Atlanta production, featuring:
- Jerome Preston Bates as Solomon Jasper
- Veanna Black as Morgan Jasper
- Donna Biscoe as Claudine Jasper
- Thomas Neal Antwon Ghant as Junior Jasper
- Victoria Omoregie as Aziza Houston
- Travis Turner as Nazareth Jasper
The production's understudies are Robert Connor, Sheri Gilbert-Wilson, Ashlee McNeill, Brittani Minnieweather, Charlie Thomas and Roderick Whitney Jr.
Bolden leads a creative team that includes Denzel Taylor, associate director and Kenny Leon Directing Fellow; Sotirios Livaditis, scenic design; Shilla Benning, costume design; Ben Rawson, lighting design; Dwight Andrews, composer; and Rasean Davonté Johnson, sound design.
A Powerful Story About Legacy
Known for works including Appropriate and An Octoroon, Jacobs-Jenkins uses PURPOSE to take a sharp and often humorous look at the expectations placed on families who have built their identities around service, respectability and public influence.
The production runs approximately 170 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission, and is recommended for audiences 15 and older. The Alliance notes that the play contains explicit language and addresses topics including race, incarceration, neurodivergence, mental health, sexuality and reproduction.
The Alliance will also host Afterwords: PURPOSE, featuring post-show conversations with members of the cast on September 5, 12 and 19 at 2 p.m. The discussions are free for ticket holders and offer audiences an opportunity to continue the conversation beyond the stage.
PURPOSE is a co-production with McCarter Theatre Center and will continue its journey to Princeton, New Jersey, in January 2027.
PURPOSE
August 28 – September 20, 2026
Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theatre
1280 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
Click here for tickets and additional information.