Attending A Performance +2 Jordyn O'Neal

 

   In September, I went to see Purpose at The Alliance Theater. This production was directed by Keith Arthur Bolden, a multifaceted artist and Professor at Spelman College. The play follows the Jasper family, a prominent family in the Black community. When the youngest son, Nazerath, returns home to celebrate his brother’s release from prison, we are introduced to the growing cracks in their family. The play discusses sexuality, religion, mental health, and neurodivergence in the Black community. The author Branden Jacobs-Jenkins did a wonderful job weaving in multiple deep conversations about these and other pressing topics. I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion I had with my fellow classmates afterward. There was a monologue done by Naz’s mother, Claudine, that talks about the pressures of raising a child to be comfortable in their own skin, when society already places labels on Black children. It is revealed that Naz is autistic during the big dinner scene. This, as well as Naz’s identity as an asexual man, causes confusion in his family. Overall, the story does a great job of handling important topics.

By Jordyn O'Neal