Kara Young (actress)

Kara Young[1] is an American actress. She has been nominated twice for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play: in 2022 for her role of Letitia in Clyde's and in 2023 for her role of Jess in Cost of Living.

Kara Young
Born
Kara Young
Alma materNew York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts
OccupationActress

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]

Theatre credits
Year Title Role Venue
2016 Pretty Hunger[11] Lea The Public Theater
2017 Syncing Ink[12] Alley Theatre
2018 The Revolving Cycles Truly and Steadily Roll'd[13] Karma The Duke on 42nd Street
2019 The New Englanders[5] Eisa New York City Center
Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven[14] Lil Melba Diaz Linda Gross Theatre
2020 All the Natalie Portmans[15] Keyonna Susan and Ronald Frankel Theater
2021–2022 Clyde's[3] Letitia Hayes Theater
2022 Twelfth Night[16] Viola Classical Theatre of Harlem
Cost of Living[9] Jess Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
2023 Purlie Victorious[3] Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins Music Box Theater

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result
2017 Innovative Theatre Awards[17] Outstanding Actress in a Featured Role In the Event of My Death Nominated
2020 Antonyo Awards[18] Best Actor in a Play Off-Broadway All the Natalie Portmans Nominated
AUDELCO Awards[19] Special Achievement Award Won
Lucille Lortel Awards[20] Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play All the Natalie Portmans Nominated
2022 Actors' Equity Foundation Awards[21] Clarence Derwent Award Clyde's Won
Antonyo Awards[22] Best Featured Actor in a Play (Broadway) Nominated
Drama Desk Award[23] Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Nominated
Lilly Awards[24] Stacey Mindich Go Work in Theater Award Won
Tony Awards[8] Best Featured Actress in a Play Clyde's Nominated
2023 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lead Performance In A Play Twelfth Night Nominated
Outstanding Featured Performance In A Play Cost of Living Nominated
Obie Award[25] Performance Twelfth Night Won
Tony Awards[10] Best Featured Actress in a Play Cost of Living Nominated

References
  1. Paulson, Michael (May 27, 2022). "Why the Biggest Ovation at the Tonys Luncheon Was for a Waiter". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  2. Vincentelli, Elisabeth (September 16, 2020). "For Kara Young, a Zooming Career Is Followed by a Zoom Role". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  3. Brunner, Jeryl (December 22, 2021). "Making Her Broadway Debut In 'Clyde's,' Kara Young Is A Force On Stage And Screen". Forbes. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  4. "Notable Alumni". New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  5. Green, Jesse (October 2, 2019). "'The New Englanders' Review: Trying Too Hard to Be Special". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  6. Soloski, Alexis (February 25, 2020). "'All the Natalie Portmans' Review: An Imaginary Friend With an Oscar". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  7. Green, Jesse (November 23, 2021). "'Clyde's' Review: Sometimes a Hero Is More Than Just a Sandwich". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  8. Sherman, Rachel (May 9, 2022). "Full List of the 2022 Tony Award Nominees". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  9. Cox, Gordon (September 27, 2022). "Why 'Cost of Living' Is on the Broadway Forefront". Variety. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  10. Sherman, Rachel; Cohn, Gabe (May 2, 2023). "Tony Awards Nominations 2023: The Complete List". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  11. "PRETTY HUNGER and TEENAGE DICK Set for Public Studio This Spring". BroadwayWorld.com. February 18, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  12. "Cast, Creatives Set for NSangou Njikam's World Premiere of SYNCING INK at Alley Theatre". BroadwayWorld.com. January 11, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  13. Wild, Stephi. "Jonathan Payne's THE REVOLVING CYCLES TRULY AND STEADILY ROLL'D Opens Tonight". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  14. Rabinowitz, Chloe (November 26, 2019). "HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN Extends One Week through December 29". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  15. Ware, J. Gabriel (April 21, 2022). "More Than a Character: For Actor Kara Young, the Right Role Is Liberating". TheaterMania. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  16. Rabinowitz, Chloe (June 13, 2022). "Cast Announced for TWELFTH NIGHT at Classical Theatre Of Harlem". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  17. "Nominees Announced for the 2017 Innovative Theatre Awards; Full List!". BroadwayWorld.com. July 26, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  18. Cristi, A. A. (June 9, 2020). "TINA, Audra McDonald, Joshua Henry, LaChanze, Arienne Warren and More Nominated for 2020 Antonyo Awards". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  19. Wild, Stephi (December 4, 2020). "Winners Announced For 2020 AUDELCO Awards". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  20. Rosky, Nicole (May 3, 2020). "The Winners Are In for the 2020 Lucille Lortel Awards- The Full List!". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  21. Rabinowitz, Chloe (May 16, 2022). "Amber Gray, Kara Young & More Receive 2022 Actors' Equity Foundation Awards". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  22. Rabinowitz, Chloe. "2nd Annual Antonyo Award Nominations Announced - See The Full List!". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  23. Rosky, Nicole. "SIX, KIMBERLY AKIMBO Lead Nominations for 2022 Drama Desk Awards". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  24. Putnam, Leah (May 13, 2022). "2022 Tony Nominee Kara Young Wins Lilly Award; See the Full Winners List". Playbill. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  25. Rabinowitz, Chloe (February 24, 2023). "FAT HAM, ENGLISH, Kara Young, Saheem Ali & More Win Obie Awards for 2020-2022 Season". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
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