Branden Jacobs-Jenkins on winning a Pulitzer for Purpose

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins was getting ready for his first Met Gala on Monday afternoon when he got the news — his latest play Purpose, which is now on Broadway, won this year's Pulitzer Prize for drama.

- MICHAEL PAULSON

The Pulitzer board described Purpose as "a play about the complex dynamics and legacy of an upper middle class African-American family", and praised it as "a skilful blend of drama and comedy that probes how different generations define heritage".

The other finalists were Cole Esco-la's Oh, Mary!, which is also running on Broadway, and The Ally, by Itamar Moses, which had an off-Broadway run last year at the Public Theater.

Jacobs-Jenkins, 40, has been a Pulitzer finalist twice before, for Gloria in 2016 and for Everybody in 2018, and last year he won a Tony Award for Appropriate. In 2016 he also won a so-called genius grant from the MacArthur Foundation.

He grew up in Washington, DC, and now lives in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. An Octoroon and The Comeuppance are among his other well-received works.

Purpose, directed by Phylicia Rashad, was first staged last year by Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago, which had commissioned the play; Jacobs-Jenkins wrote it for the company's actors.

The Broadway production opened in March, and has been nominated for six Tonys, including best play.

In an interview Monday afternoon, Jacobs-Jenkins talked about the play, the prize and his own purpose.

What is Purpose?

Purpose is a play about a black political family; it's a family drama; six actors, six characters. And I guess it's funny.

And what is the significance of the title?