Purpose - Play

Purpose - Play at OneAmerica Mainstage - Indiana Repertory Theater

What happens when a proud family history collides with the secrets everyone would rather leave alone? In Purpose, the Jasper family has spent years shaping public life through civil rights, church and politics. Now they gather for a family celebration, and the polished image they present to the world has to share a room with the tensions they keep private. That gap between the public ideal and the private reality is where this play lives.

Then comes the knock. An uninvited guest arrives, and family secrets begin to surface. You don't need a program to feel the stakes. Anyone who has sat at a crowded table and felt a conversation tilt knows how fast a gathering can change. Watching it unfold live on the OneAmerica Mainstage at Indiana Repertory Theater in Indianapolis puts you in the room with every glance and every pause. Tyrone Phillips directs this local production, which IRT presents as a co-production with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

This is also a chance to see work by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, whose play won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play. Those honors belong to the play, and they speak to the story you'll be watching. Your 1:00 PM Saturday matinee on February 20, 2027, could start the best conversation of your winter. Reserve your seats for Purpose in Indianapolis here.