Works & Process at the Guggenheim presents Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, directed by Phylicia Rashad, on January 27, 2025 at the Peter B. Lewis Theater, 1071 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10128 at 7pm. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased at https://www.worksandprocess.org/calendar/works-and-process-at-the-guggenheim-purpose.



From Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the Tony Award-winning playwright of Appropriate, comes Purpose, directed by two-time Tony Award–winner Phylicia Rashad. Prior to the start of Broadway previews, join the cast and creatives for a first look at the production, direct from a white-hot run at Steppenwolf Theatre Company.



For decades, the influential Jasper family has been a pillar of Black American Politics: civil rights leaders, pastors and congressmen. But like all families, there are cracks and secrets just under the surface. When the youngest son Nazareth returns home with an uninvited friend in tow, the family is forced into a reckoning with itself, its faith and the legacies of Black political power and familial duty. Spirited, hilarious and filled with intrigue, Purpose is an epic family drama from one of the country’s most celebrated voices.



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).



Leadership support for this Works & Process program is provided by Nina Matis, in honor of Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins.



Works & Process Lead Donors

Lead funding provided by Adam and Abigail Flatto, Ford Foundation, Bart Friedman and Wendy Stein, Howard Gilman Foundation, Christian Humann Foundation, Leon Levy Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Stephen Kroll Reidy, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Caroline M. Sharp, The Evelyn Sharp Foundation, Eugene and Jean Stark, and Anonymous.



Additional support provided by Jody and John Arnhold, Jeff and Susan Campbell, Cate Caruso, Stuart H. Coleman and Meryl Rosofsky, Duke Dang and Charles E. Rosen, Lucy and Philip Dobrin, Elizabeth Sharp Edens and Wes Edens, The Fanwood Foundation, Agnes Gund, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, Denise and Andrew Saul, Randall Sharp, and the Simian Foundation.



Works & Process is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.



About Works & Process

Championing performing artists and their creative process for each step from studio to stage, Works & Process features artists both those from the world’s largest organizations and emerging new talent. Works & Process amplifies performing arts traditions that transcend the stage, and encourage audiences to spectate, participate, and continue the conversation beyond the stage. Works & Process programs blend artist discussion and performance highlights, with post-performance receptions at the Guggenheim Museum and beyond. During the summer, Works & Process curates and presents free outdoor dance programs with Manhattan West and City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage.



Works & Process Artists-in-Residence are provided with commissions and made-to-measure LaunchPAD creative residencies that are fully funded and sequenced, offering 24/7 studio availability, on-site housing, health insurance enrollment access, industry-leading residency fees, and transportation to fifteen residency partners across MA, NJ, NY, and VT.



Works and Process, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Tax ID: 13-3592291

Stay connected: @worksandprocess



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worksandprocess.org/calendar/works-and-process-at-the-guggenheim-purpose

• January 27 from 7:00 to 10:00 pm

  January 27, 2025 07:00 to January 27, 2025 10:00
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
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