American actress
Kara Young
[1] is an American actress. She has received three nominations for a
Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play : in 2022 for the role of Letitia in
Clyde's , in 2023 for the role of Jess in
Cost of Living , and in 2024 for the role of Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins in
Purlie Victorious .
Early life and education
Young was born and raised in
Harlem in New York City.
[2] Both of her parents emigrated from Belize. Her father, Klay Young, began working in the
Rainbow Room in
30 Rockefeller Plaza in 1992 as a server and later
captain (a place where Kara would eventually attend a special event for Tony Award nominees).
[1] Her mother worked in health administration in
Bellevue Hospital .
[1]
Young had an interest in performing from the age of five, when she learned to
mime in an afterschool program at the
92nd Street Y .
[3] She briefly went to
Gettysburg College and the
City College of New York before studying at the
New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts , where she graduated.
[2]
[4] She studied traditional theater in Thailand for a month in 2008.
[2]
Career
Young joined the
LAByrinth Theater Company in 2017.
[2] She has appeared
off-Broadway in plays such as NSangou Njikam's Syncing Ink , Jonathan Payne's The Revolving Cycles Truly and Steadily Roll'd ,
Stephen Adly Guirgis 's Halfway Bitches Go Straight To Heaven (a LAByrinth co-production), Jeff Augustin's The New Englanders , and C.A. Johnson's All the Natalie Portmans .
[2]
[5]
[6] A
Times review of her starring role in All the Natalie Portmans wrote that Young "can fit what feels like a mountain of blood, heart, sinew and febrile emotional response into a frame that can't stretch past five feet".
[6] Young often plays characters much younger than herself, adolescents or even preadolescents, something attributed in part to her small size and wide-set eyes.
[2]
In November 2021, Young made her
Broadway debut at the
Hayes Theater playing a single mother, Letitia, in
Lynn Nottage 's play
Clyde's .
[3] The Times called her performance "superb".
[7] At the
75th Tony Awards , she was nominated for
Best Featured Actress in a Play for Clyde's .
[8]
In 2022, Young played a caregiver, Jess, in
Martyna Majok 's play
Cost of Living at the
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway.
[9] At the
76th Tony Awards , she was again nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Cost of Living .
[10] In 2023 she portrayed Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins in the revival of the
Ossie Davis play
Purlie Victorious on Broadway, for which she received a third
Tony Award nomination.
Theatre credits
Awards and nominations
References
^
a
b
c Paulson, Michael (May 27, 2022).
"Why the Biggest Ovation at the Tonys Luncheon Was for a Waiter" .
The New York Times .
Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f Vincentelli, Elisabeth (September 16, 2020).
"For Kara Young, a Zooming Career Is Followed by a Zoom Role" .
The New York Times .
Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^
a
b
c
d Brunner, Jeryl (December 22, 2021).
"Making Her Broadway Debut In 'Clyde's,' Kara Young Is A Force On Stage And Screen" .
Forbes .
Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^
"Notable Alumni" .
New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts .
Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^
a
b Green, Jesse (October 2, 2019).
" 'The New Englanders' Review: Trying Too Hard to Be Special" .
The New York Times .
Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^
a
b Soloski, Alexis (February 25, 2020).
" 'All the Natalie Portmans' Review: An Imaginary Friend With an Oscar" .
The New York Times .
Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^ Green, Jesse (November 23, 2021).
" 'Clyde's' Review: Sometimes a Hero Is More Than Just a Sandwich" .
The New York Times .
Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^
a
b Sherman, Rachel (May 9, 2022).
"Full List of the 2022 Tony Award Nominees" .
The New York Times .
Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^
a
b Cox, Gordon (September 27, 2022).
"Why 'Cost of Living' Is on the Broadway Forefront" .
Variety .
Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^
a
b Sherman, Rachel; Cohn, Gabe (May 2, 2023).
"Tony Awards Nominations 2023: The Complete List" .
The New York Times .
Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^
"PRETTY HUNGER and TEENAGE DICK Set for Public Studio This Spring" . BroadwayWorld.com . February 18, 2016.
Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^
"The World Premiere of In the Event of My Death" . Irttheatre.org . Retrieved April 30, 2024 .
^
"Cast, Creatives Set for NSangou Njikam's World Premiere of SYNCING INK at Alley Theatre" . BroadwayWorld.com . January 11, 2017.
Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023 .
^ Wild, Stephi.
"Jonathan Payne's THE REVOLVING CYCLES TRULY AND STEADILY ROLL'D Opens Tonight" . BroadwayWorld.com .
Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (November 26, 2019).
"HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN Extends One Week through December 29" . BroadwayWorld.com .
Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023 .
^ Ware, J. Gabriel (April 21, 2022).
"More Than a Character: For Actor Kara Young, the Right Role Is Liberating" . TheaterMania .
Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023 .
^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (June 13, 2022).
"Cast Announced for TWELFTH NIGHT at Classical Theatre Of Harlem" . BroadwayWorld.com .
Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023 .
^ Hall, Margaret (February 27, 2024).
"Kara Young to Join Kate Douglas' The Apiary Off-Broadway" .
^
"Nominees Announced for the 2017 Innovative Theatre Awards; Full List!" . BroadwayWorld.com . July 26, 2017.
Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023 .
^ Cristi, A. A. (June 9, 2020).
"TINA, Audra McDonald, Joshua Henry, LaChanze, Arienne Warren and More Nominated for 2020 Antonyo Awards" . BroadwayWorld.com .
Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023 .
^ Rosky, Nicole (May 3, 2020).
"The Winners Are In for the 2020 Lucille Lortel Awards- The Full List!" . BroadwayWorld.com .
Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023 .
^ Wild, Stephi (December 4, 2020).
"Winners Announced For 2020 AUDELCO Awards" . BroadwayWorld.com .
Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023 .
^ Putnam, Leah (May 13, 2022).
"2022 Tony Nominee Kara Young Wins Lilly Award; See the Full Winners List" . Playbill .
Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023 .
^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (May 16, 2022).
"Amber Gray, Kara Young & More Receive 2022 Actors' Equity Foundation Awards" . BroadwayWorld.com .
Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023 .
^ Rabinowitz, Chloe.
"2nd Annual Antonyo Award Nominations Announced - See The Full List!" . BroadwayWorld.com .
Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023 .
^ Rosky, Nicole.
"SIX, KIMBERLY AKIMBO Lead Nominations for 2022 Drama Desk Awards" . BroadwayWorld.com .
Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023 .
^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (February 24, 2023).
"FAT HAM, ENGLISH, Kara Young, Saheem Ali & More Win Obie Awards for 2020-2022 Season" . BroadwayWorld.com .
Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023 .
^
"2024 Drama League Award Nominations announced" . Theatermania . Retrieved April 22, 2024 .
^ Culwell-Block, Logan (May 13, 2024).
"Stereophonic Leads 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards, Wins Best Play; See the Full List of Winners" . Playbill . Retrieved May 13, 2024 .
^ Sherman, Rachel (April 30, 2024).
"Tony Awards Nominations 2024: The Complete List" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 . Retrieved April 30, 2024 .
External links