As the Tony Awards approach, "Purpose," directed by Howard's own Phylicia Rashad (B.F.A. '70), is nominated for "Outstanding Broadway Play," while alumnus and educator Gary Edwin Robinson (B.F.A. ’86) will be presented with the "Excellence in Theatre Education" award during the June 8th ceremony. 

Phylicia Rashad's Broadway Directorial Debut Is a Critical and Commercial Hit

“Purpose,” directed by Phylicia Rashad (B.F.A. '70), dean emerita of Howard University's Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts, is nominated for “Outstanding Broadway Play” at the 78th Tony Awards this year. The family drama, written by Tony Award-winning playwright and producer Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, explores themes around “faith, politics, and the legacy of Black radicalism.” 

Purpose tells a story centered on an influential Black family which is highly visible as leaders in politics, civil rights, and religion. There are cracks and secrets below the surface, however, exposed when the youngest son brings a guest home who serves as a catalyst for familial introspection with regards to power, faith, radicalism, and legacy.

In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, the play has already been named "Best Play" by the New York Drama Critics' Circle and "Outstanding Play" by the Drama Desk Awards. As the play's director, Rashad elicited extraordinary performances from an ensemble cast, made evident by a deluge of awards and nominations this season, including Tony Award nominations for LaTanya Richardson Jackson for "Best Actress in a Play," Harry Lennix and Jon Michael Hill for "Best Actor in a Play," Kara Young for "Best Featured Actress in a Play," and Glenn Davis for "Best Featured Actor in a Play."

The play has been noted for its humor and intensity. A critic from the New York Post called it, "unstoppably fierce, funny, and ruthless," while a Washington Post critic called it "a feast of jaw-dropping tea and riveting food for thought." A New York Times critic said that it is "a play that meets our national moment."

The Black family intricacies and complexities expertly showcased in "Purpose" are those Rashad has illuminated throughout her career. 

“The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves not only reflect our experience but have the power to shape experiences to come,” said Nikkole Salter, MFA, chair of the Department of Theatre Arts within the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts. “The artists who invent, interpret, and deliver those stories to us on stage and screen do humanity a great service in that they help us remember as well as imagine who we can become.”

“Dean Phylicia Rashad is such an artist dedicated to truth, excellence, leadership, and service whose cultural contributions span decades of American life,” Salter continued. “It’s safe to say her performances and direction have influenced how the world sees African America, and how African America sees itself. It is no surprise that her work as director of Brandon Jacob Jenkins’ ‘Purpose’ on Broadway continues to make that contribution, offering insights into the aftermath of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements.”

Rashad, the first Black actress to win the Tony Award for “Best Actress in a Play” for the revival of “A Raisin in the Sun” in 2004, was also awarded “Best Featured Actress in a Play” for 2022’s “Skeleton Crew.” After making her Broadway debut in Melvin Van Peebles’ 1971 production of “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death,” Rashad would star in many Broadway productions over the next three decades, including “Dreamgirls,” “Jelly’s Last Jam,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” and “August: Osage County.” In addition, Rashad’s director credits are many and diverse — including the likes of August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun,” and Joe Turner’s “Come and Gone” (for which Rashad won the 2014 NAACP Theatre Award for Best Director). 

“Purpose” marks Rashad’s Broadway directorial debut. In an interview with Broadway.com, Rashad said the opportunity to direct this play was an invitation that she had to accept. Moved by the writing of Jacobs-Jenkins, Rashad praised his ability to “write the familiar in the most unfamiliar way — it’s beautiful and it’s complex, and yet it’s so simple,” she said, noting that life is the same, which “makes the best theatre.”

Evident in the art she chooses to make and her work as an educator and mentor, Rashad continues to prove her dedication to elevating culture and teaching the next generation of artists to use their craft to inspire, uplift, encourage reflection, and create change. 

“Dean Rashad’s trajectory of culture-building began at Howard University, and she has surely carried forth the mission to drive change and solve humanity’s problems through the study and practice of the theatre arts,” said Salter. “We congratulate her and her team on this brave new work that seeks to help us all see ourselves more clearly.”

There’s still time to see the cast (including Latanya Richardson Jackson, Harry Lennix, Jon Micheal Hill, Glenn Davis, Alana Arenas, Kara Young, Sojourner Brown, and Chris Myers) directed by Rashad “make the best theatre” by bringing Jacobs-Jenkins’s “Purpose” to life. The play has extended its run through August 31, and tickets can be purchased at purposeonbroadway.com.