.png)
In 1982, the Sam Shepard play True West, starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich, became the first of many Steppenwolf productions to travel to New York City. Known for its hallmark ensemble cast—featuring actors, playwrights, producers, and directors as company members—the Chicago theater company has built a formidable reputation. With its “New Plays Initiative,” Steppenwolf has achieved international prominence and cultivated ongoing relationships with playwrights. Budding playwrights clamor for the opportunity to premiere their work at Steppenwolf.
Enter Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who stepped into the spotlight roughly nine years ago when Steppenwolf commissioned him. At the time, he was already a respected writer with all eyes on him—this was before his MacArthur “Genius Grant” and Tony Award win. He participated in workshops with Glen Davis, Jon Michael Hill, and Alana Arenas. Davis, who later became Steppenwolf’s Artistic Director following Anna D. Shapiro, programmed Purpose for the 2023–24 season.
The debut of Purpose, directed by Phylicia Rashad, marked the second collaboration between Rashad and Jacobs-Jenkins. Their connection began after she attended a performance of his play The Octoroon at New York’s Soho Repertory Theatre. After the show, she said just two words to him: “You’re insane.” Those two words gave Jacobs-Jenkins the assurance he needed that he was on the right path.
Purpose premiered in Chicago. The story follows an influential African American family based in Washington, D.C., and, while centering on familiar sibling dynamics, it delivers a number of meaningful twists and turns. I had the privilege of attending the play alongside our Arts & Culture writer Zada Jackson. Her review captured what many Chicagoans were thinking: that the characters Junior and Morgan were fictionalized portrayals of former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. and his ex-wife, Chicago politician Sandi Jackson, both of whom were involved in scandals over misused campaign funds.
The play explores the heavy burdens of being part of a dynasty and the pressure to build a meaningful legacy. But front and center is the unmistakable tension between the civil rights activism of the past and the often disjointed unrest of the 2020s—a time when collective action can devolve into mob gatherings fueled more by individualistic quests for celebrity and fame. These pursuits are rooted in complex notions of notoriety, loyalty, popularity, complicity, privilege, progress, and the failure to rise to the moment—intertwined and unresolved.
Purpose made its New York debut on March 17 at the Helen Hayes Theatre and runs through July 6, 2025—so there’s still time to get your tickets. The cast features Glenn Davis, Chicago-born Harry Lennix, Kara Young, Alana Arenas, Jon Michael Hill, and LaTanya Richardson. If you haven’t seen it yet, take a weekend trip—you won’t regret it.