Purpose - Play

Purpose - Play at OneAmerica Mainstage - Indiana Repertory Theater

Every family has a version of the story it tells the world. Then there's the version that comes out at the dinner table. Purpose lives in that gap, and it pulls you straight into the room where the two collide. See the OneAmerica Mainstage - Indiana Repertory Theater venue guide for location and visitor information.

The play follows the Jasper family, whose public influence in civil rights, church and politics gives them a legacy people admire. But during a family celebration, private tensions start to press against that polished image. Then an uninvited guest arrives, and family secrets are exposed. It's a setup built for tension, recognition and the kind of silence that falls over a whole theater when a hard truth lands. You may find yourself asking what you owe your family, what you owe your ideals, and what happens when those two things pull in different directions.

This is also a chance to see a major contemporary work on your own side of the footlights. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins wrote Purpose, which won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play. Those honors belong to the play itself, but they signal a story worth your afternoon. At Indiana Repertory Theater in Indianapolis, Tyrone Phillips directs this co-production with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. The 2:00 PM performance on February 21, 2027 is a natural fit for a day out with someone who loves a good argument afterward. Secure your seats for Purpose at the Indiana Repertory Theater and step inside the Jasper family's celebration.