The 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama has been awarded to Branden Jacobs-Jenkins for “Purpose.” Two finalists were also named: “Oh, Mary!” by Cole Escola and “The Ally” by Itamar Moses.
“Purpose” takes place in the household of the Jasper family, known in their Illinois community as a pillar of Black American politics. When youngest son Nazareth arrives with an uninvited friend, the family is forced to reckon with its own faith and legacy within the community. Following a world premiere bow in 2024 at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company, “Purpose” opened on Broadway on March 17, 2025 at the Hayes Theater. The Phylicia Rashed-helmed production received nominations for six 2025 Tony Awards, including a Best Play nod for Jacobs-Jenkins and the show’s producers.
While this announcement marks his first Pulitzer win, Jacobs-Jenkins is a two-time previous finalist, having been acknowledged in 2018 for “Everybody” and in 2016 for “Gloria.” Jacobs-Jenkins also took home a Tony Award in 2024 as author of the Best Revival of Play winner “Appropriate.”
Like “Purpose,” “Oh, Mary!” is a contender for the 2025 Best Play Tony Award. The comedy, which chronicles the zany antics of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, first played Off-Broadway in 2024 and swiftly transferred to the Main Stem. The Sam Pinkleton-directed production, which opened on Broadway on July 11, 2024 at the Lyceum Theatre, recently announced its fourth extension.
Moses’ “The Ally” centers around the dilemma of a Jewish college professor who is asked by students to sign a social justice manifesto. Lila Neugebauer directed the Public Theater production which opened on Feb. 27, 2024. Moses is currently represented on Broadway as the Tony-nominated book writer of the new musical “Dead Outlaw.”
Beyond the prize for drama, the theater industry was also recognized in another category. Sara Holdren, theater critic of New York Magazine, was named a finalist for criticism, alongside fellow finalist Vinson Cunningham of the New Yorker and winner Alexandra Lange of Bloomberg CityLab.
First awarded in 1918, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama acknowledges a “distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life.” The award comes with a $15,000 prize. The 2024 award went to Eboni Booth’s “Primary Trust,” while fellow 2025 Best Play Tony nominee “English” by Sanaz Toossi was awarded in 2023.
