The Pulitzer- and Tony-winning Branden Jacobs-Jenkins play bowed on Broadway last season.
June 04, 2026 By Logan Culwell-Block
Well, all’s well that ends well, right? The Broadway run of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins‘ Pulitzer- and Tony-winning Purpose—which ended a 192-performance run at the Hayes Theatre in August 2025—has recouped its full $5.25 million capitalization.
As for how that was achieved roughly nine months after the show was running and bringing in any money, the production has New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s Broadway tax credit to thank. Funds for the program had evaporated last year, but not before Purpose was approved to receive the credit—which has finally been applied to the production. The measure allowed Purpose‘s producers, led by David Stone, to complete a full return of all collected capital contributions to investors.
And in further good news for the theatre community, Hochul recently allocated another $150 million to the New York City Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit, in a newly passed New York State Budget. It applies retroactively to productions that missed out during the funding gap. Theatre productions that are already running have until June 30 to apply for retroactive tax credits, which can go up to $3 million for Broadway shows.
Purpose—which won two 2025 Tony Awards, including Best Play and Best Featured Actress in a Play for Kara Young—was directed by Phylicia Rashad, following an Illinois family of civil rights leaders, pastors, and congressmen—pillars of Black American politics—with secrets lying just beneath the surface. The youngest son Nazareth returns home with an uninvited friend that ultimately forces the family to reckon with itself, their faith, and the legacies of Black radicalism.
The producing team included 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.
The play is due to be remounted with its entire original Broadway cast at Los Angeles’ Geffen Playhouse this fall, with other stagings coming nationally and internationally.
*A previous version of this story said that Purpose received its tax credit from the newly allocated $150 million. That has been corrected; Purpose received its tax credit in a previous funding cycle.
Photos: Purpose on Broadway
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Jon Michael Hill in Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
LaTanya Richardson Jackson in Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Kara Young in Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
Jon Michael Hill, Kara Young, and Harry Lennix in Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
Glenn Davis and LaTanya Richardson Jackson in Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Glenn Davis, Kara Young, and Jon Michael Hill in Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
Jon Michael Hill and Glenn Davis in Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
Kara Young in Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
Alana Arenas and Jon Michael Hill in Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
Harry Lennix in Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
Jon Michael Hill and Harry Lennix in Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
Company of Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
Alana Arenas and Kara Young in Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Jon Michael Hill, Glenn Davis, and Alana Arenas in Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
Jon Michael Hill in Purpose
By: Marc J. Franklin
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