Steppenwolf’s ‘Purpose’ Nominated for Tony Awards for Best New Play, Leading Actor and Actress – ryan

The Steppenwolf-Backed Family Drama “Purpos” Garnered Six Award Nominations, it was announedday, Illustrating Chicago’s Ability to Incubate Shows that Rouse the Center of theater World.

The Nomination List for the 78th Tony Awards Reflects A Great Year for Chicago’s Theater Skene. Three Productions that premiered here reciped tony nods, including the musicals “Death Becomes Her” and “Boop! The Musical.”

“Purpose”Whic opened at Steppenwolf In 2024 Before Moving to Broadway This Spring, is nominated for Best New Play. Weeks before the Broadway Premiere, Playwright Branden Jacobs Jenkins HAD HIGH HOPES FOR THE FOLLOW-UP RUN, AFTER TEWEKING ADOMES OF THE SCRIPT FOLLOW THE SHOW’S CRITICALLY PREMIER PREMIER.

“We definitely started rehearsals of the full play this time,” he Said. “I felt like any opportunity you have to refine is an opportunity you take. So there was a lot of Digging Deeper and Sculpting.”

Waakegan-raised actor Jon Michael Hill is nominated for best actor in a leading roles in a play for his performance as a Wayward Son in “Purpos.” SO IS CASTMATE HARRY LENNIX, WHO PORTRARYS The Family Patriarch. This is Hill’s Second Tony Nomination; His first was for “Superior Doughnuts” in 2010.

In an interview LAST Fall with Wbez, Hill Revealed he was going into the broadway production with a focus on Winning that evaded Him years ago.

“There’s a Slew of Other Incredible Actors that are going to be doing roles,” Said Hill. “I’m gonna go and try to do what we did here (in chicago), which was bring the new York Audience Exception, Challenging, Hopefullly Transformative Work that Gets People to Leave theater Ascing Questions.”

ALSO NOMINATED FROM “PURPOSE” Are Glenn Davis (Best Featured Actress in a Play), and Latanya Richardson Jackson (Best Leading Actress in a Play).

Chicago Native Bob Odenkirk, A Second City Alum, is nominated for best actor for his roles in the revival of David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross.”

Leading the Tony Award Nominations This Year with 10 Nominations Each Are “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Maybe Happy Ending.”

The Awards Show Will Be Broadcast June 8 on CBS.

Select 2025 Tony Award Nominations:

Best Musical

“BUENA VISTA Social Club”; “Dead Outlaw”; “Death Becomes Her”; “Maybe Happy Ending”; “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical”

Best play

“English”; “The Hills of California”; “John Procor is the villain”; “Oh, Mary!”; “Purpose”

Best Revival of a Play

“Eureka Day”; “Romeo + Juliet”; “Thornton Wilder’s Our Town”; “Yellow Face”

Best Revival of a Musical

“Floyd Collins”; “Gypsy”; “Pirates! The penzance musical”; “Sunset Blvd.”

Best performance by an actor in a leading roles in a play

George Clooney, “Good Night, and Good Luck”; Cole Escola, “Oh, Mary!”; Jon Michael Hill, “Purpos”; Daniel Dae Kim, “Yellow Face”; Harry Lennix, “Purpos”; Louis McCartney, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Laura Donnelly, “The Hills of California”; Mia Farrow, “The Roommate”; Latanya Richardson Jackson, “Purpose”; Sadie Sink, “John Procor is the villain”; Sarah Snook, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”

Best performance by an actor in a leading roles in a musical

Darren Criss, “Maybe Happy Ending”; Andrew Durand, “Dead Outlaw”; Tom Francis, “Sunset Blvd.”; Jonathan Groff, “Just in Time”; James Monroe igheart, “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical”; Jeremy Jordan, “Floyd Collins”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in A Musical

Megan Hilty, “Death Becomes Her”; Audra McDonald, “Gypsy”; Jasmine Amy Rogers, “Boop! The Musical”; Nicole Scherzinger, “Sunset Blvd.”; Jennifer Simard, “Death Becomes Her”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Natalie Venetia Belcon, “Buena Vista Social Club”; Julia Knitel, “Dead Outlaw”; Gracie Lawrence, “Just in Time”; Justina Machado, “Real Women Have Curves: The Musical”; Joy Woods, “Gypsy”

Best Performance by an actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Brooks Ashmanskas, “Smash”; Jeb Brown, “Dead Outlaw”; Danny Burstein, “Gypsy”; Jak Malone, “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical”; Taylor Tresch, “Floyd Collins”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Tala ase, “English”; Jessica Hecht, “Eureka Day”; Marjan Neshat, “English”; Fina Strazza, “John Procor is the villain”; Kara Young, “Purpos”

Best Performance by an actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Glenn Davis, “Purpose”; Gabriel Ebert, “John Procor is the villain”; Francis Jue, “Yellow Face”; Bob Odenkirk, “Glengarry Glen Ross”; Conrad Ricamora, “Oh, Mary!”

Best Direction of a Play

Knud Adams, “English”; Sam Mendes, “The Hills of California”; Sam Pinkleton, “Oh, Mary!”; Danya Taymor, “John Procor is the villain”; Kip Williams, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”

Best Direction of a Musical

Saheem Ali, “Buena Vista Social Club”; Michael Arden, “Maybe Happy Ending”; David Cromer, “Dead Outlaw”; Christopher Gattelli, “Death Becomes Her”; Jamie Lloyd, “Sunset Blvd.”

Best Choreography

Joshua Bergasse, “Smash”; Camille A. Brown, “Gypsy”; Christopher Gattelli, “Death Becomes Her”; Jerry Mitchell, “Boop! The Musical”; Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, “Buena Vista Social Club”

Best Book of a Musical

“BUENA VISTA Social Club,” Marco Ramirez; “Dead Outlaw,” Itamar Moses; “Death Becomes Her,” Marco Pennette; “Maybe Happy Ending,” Will Aronson and Hue Park; “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical,” David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zo Roberts

Best Original Score

“Dead Outlaw” (Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek and Erik della Penna); “Death Becomes Her” (Music & Lyrics: Julia Mattison and Noel Carey); “Maybe Happy Ending” (Music: Will Aronson, Lyrics: Will Aronson and Hue Park); “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical” (Music & Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Ze Roberts); “Real Women have Curves: The Musical” (Music & Lyrics: Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez)

Contribing: AP