SPOTLIGHT of THE WEEK
"BROADWAY PRODUCTION OF
PURPOSE, DIRECTED BY PHYLICIA RASHAD, PREMIERES AT GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE"
(Los Angeles, CA ) - Rehearsals
for Geffen Playhouse's Los Angeles premiere of the Broadway/Steppenwolf Theatre Company production of the
2025 Tony Award winner for Best Play and 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner, Purpose, written by Branden
Jacobs-Jenkins (Appropriate, Everybody) and directed by Phylicia Rashad (A Raisin in the Sun, Skeleton Crew)
has begun. The production will launch its Los Angeles run featuring the full original Broadway cast.
Previews for Purpose begin Wednesday, November 11, 2026, in
the Gil Cates Theater at Geffen Playhouse. Opening night is Thursday, November 19, 2026.
The original Broadway cast of the Broadway/Steppenwolf Theatre Company production of
Purpose includes Alana Arenas (Windfall, David Makes Man) as Morgan Jasper; Glenn Davis (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo,
King James) as Solomon "Junior" Jasper; Jon Michael Hill (The Mountaintop, Superior Donuts) as Nazareth "Naz"
Jasper; LaTanya Richardson Jackson (Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous; A Raisin in the Sun) as Claudine Jasper; Harry
Lennix (The Matrix series, Justice League) as Solomon "Sonny" Jasper; and Kara Young (Is God Is, Purlie Victorious)
as Aziza Houston.
Joining the original Broadway
cast will be Nija Okoro (Jitney, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), who will take over the role of Aziza Houston beginning with the
6:30 p.m. performance on November 29.
Due to popular
demand, Purpose has been extended through Sunday, December 20, 2026, adding one additional week of performances.
Meet the Jaspers: generations of a powerful Black political
family under one roof where nothing stays buried for long. When their youngest son returns home, instincts kick in to protect
their public image of leadership and moral authority, and fractures soon appear as private grievances, betrayals, and long-simmering
questions of identity rise to the surface.
Direct
from Broadway, this 2025 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play makes its Los Angeles debut with the original Broadway
cast, directed by the incomparable Phylicia Rashad. Both intimate and epic, Purpose is provocative, often hilarious, and ultimately
a devastating exploration of legacy and the cost of believing in something bigger than yourself.
Originally Produced on Broadway by David Stone, Debra Martin Chase, Marc Platt,
LaChanze, Rashad V. Chambers, Aaron Glick, Universal Theatrical Group, Eastern Standard Time, Trate Productions, Nancy Nagel
Gibbs, James L. Nederlander, John Gore, ATG Entertainment, The Shubert Organization, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company.
Geffen Playhouse is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board
of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture.
Geffen
Playhouse is proud to welcome members of local arts, non‑profit, and service organizations during our Community Meetup
Nights. These special evenings offer patrons the chance to connect with community partners and discover more about their missions
and values.
PURPOSE
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Phylicia Rashad
Previews: November 11, 2026 - November 18,
2026
Opening Night: November 19, 2026
Closing Night: December 20, 2026
CAST
Alana
Arenas as Morgan Jasper
Glenn Davis as Solomon "Junior"
Jasper
Jon Michael Hill as Nazareth "Naz"
Jasper
LaTanya Richardson Jackson as Claudine Jasper
Harry Lennix as Solomon "Sonny" Jasper
Nija Okoro as Aziza Houston (11/29 6:30 p.m. performance -12/20)
Kara Young as Aziza Houston (11/11-11/29 1:00 p.m. performance)
The role of "Aziza Houston" will be performed by Kara Young
through the November 29, 1:00 p.m. performance and by Nija Okoro beginning with the November 29, 6:30 p.m. performance.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Scenic Designer Todd Rosenthal
Costume Designer Dede Ayite
Lighting
Designer Amith Chandrashaker
Sound Designers Rob
Milburn & Michael Bodeen
Hair & Wig Designer
Nikiya Mathis
Assistant Director David Blackwell
Dramaturg Jonathan L. Green
Production Stage Manager Tiffany N. Robinson
Assistant Stage Manager Lisa Toudic
Chicago
Casting JC Clementz, CSA
Broadway Casting Calleri
Jensen Davis
Additional Casting Phyllis Schuringa,
CSA
UNDERSTUDIES
Gregg T. Daniel as u/s Solomon "Sonny" Jasper
Candace Nicholas-Lippman as u/s Aziza Houston / Morgan Jasper
Christian Telesmar as u/s Nazareth "Naz" Jasper / Solomon
"Junior" Jasper
Marie-Françoise
Theodore as u/s Claudine Jasper
PERFORMANCE
SCHEDULE
Monday, Tuesday No performance*
Wednesday, Thursday 7:30 p.m.**
Friday 8:00 p.m.
Saturday
2:00 and 8:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.***
* There will be Tuesday 7:30 p.m. performances on December 1, 8, and
15.
** There will be no performances on Wednesday,
November 25, and Thursday, November 26.
*** There
will be no Sunday 6:30 p.m. performances on November 15 and December 6, 13, and 20.
LOCATION
Gil
Cates Theater at Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Tickets are available by phone at 310.208.2028 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.org.
Fees may apply.
All Geffen Playhouse productions
are intended for an adult audience; children under 10 years of age will not be admitted.
# # #
(Source: Greffen Playhouse PR)
