Branden Jacobs-Jenkins                                   Rob Ulin

Playwrights Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Rob Ulin are among this year’s recipients of major national awards presented annually by theater critics.

Jacobs’ play, Purpose, has received the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, six Tony Award nominations, including for Best Play, five Outer Critics Circle Award nominations, including for Outstanding New Broadway Play, three Drama League Award nominations, including for Outstanding Production of a Play, and two Drama Desk Award nominations, including for Outstanding Play.

Now, add the 2025 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award to the bevy of honors bestowed on Purpose.

According to Purpose’s website, “this electrifying production is an intimate and intriguing behind-the-scenes look at the influential Jasper family. And, like all families, there are cracks beneath the surface. When the son returns home with an uninvited friend, the family is forced into a reckoning with itself, its faith, and its legacy.”

The play explores themes of family legacy, faith, and Black identity as the family grapples with past actions and present relationships.

In addition to Purpose’s award, the American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association (ATCA) also presented two 2025 Steinberg/ATCA citations. The recipients were The Janeiad by Anna Ziegler, produced by Alley Theatre in Houston, and Little Bear Ridge Road by Samuel Hunter, produced by Steppenwolf. Each citation carries a $7,500 cash prize.

In The Janeiad, longing for lost love connects Jane to Penelope. While the latter waits for Odysseus to return from the Trojan War, Jane lost her husband to 9/11. Penelope kindles an eternal hope for her husband’s return, yet Jane is counting on the miraculous for her reconciliation.

Meanwhile, Little Bear Ridge Road takes place in the outskirts of Troy, Idaho. It tells the story of an estranged nephew and his aunt who reunite at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to settle their estate of their deceased father and brother, respectively. Although they are emotionally distant, they find themselves drawn to care for each other.

A panel of critics selected the winners from a pool of eligible scripts recommended by ATCA members from around the country.

The Steinberg/ATCA Award carries a $25,000 cash prize. The honor recognizes an outstanding script that premiered in a professional production outside of New York City in 2024. Purpose debuted at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. After its regional debut last year, the play is running on Broadway at the Hayes Theater.

The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust was created in 1986 by Harold Steinberg on behalf of himself and his late wife. Pursuing its primary mission to support the American theater, it has provided grants totaling millions of dollars for new productions of American plays and educational programs for those who may not ordinarily experience live theater.

In addition to the Steinberg/ATCA honor, the critics organization also presented the 2025 M. Elizabeth Osborn Award to Rob Ulin for his play, Judgement Day. The award’s namesake is the late critic, director, educator, and new play advocate M. Elizabeth “Betty” Osborn (1941-1993). The prize recognizes the work of a playwright who has not yet received a major production, such as a Broadway or Off-Broadway engagement, or received any other major national awards. The Osborn Award carries a $3,000 cash prize.

Judgement Day, subtitled “an irreverent new comedy,” includes a “morally bankrupt lawyer” confronting eternal damnation, an angel, a near-death experience, and multiple crises of faith.

Critics chose the winning work from a pool of eligible scripts recommended by ATCA members from around the country. Cameron Kelsall (Philadelphia, PA) served as chair of the ATCA New Play Committee during the adjudication process. Other participating members included Nancy Bishop (Chicago, IL), Lindsay Christians (Madison, WI), Mike Fischer (Milwaukee, WI), Amanda Finn (Chicago, IL), Melissa Hall (Indianapolis, IN), Lou Harry (Indianapolis, IN), Ed Huyck (Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN), Elizabeth Kramer (Louisville, KY), Martha Wade Steketee (New York, NY), Doug Strassler (New York, NY), and Bob Verini (Boston, MA).