Kara Young

Kara Young Her mother worked in health administration at Bellevue Hospital. She studied traditional theater in Thailand for a month in 2008.

Career Young joined the LAByrinth Theater Company in 2017. A New York Times review of her starring role in All the Natalie Portmans said 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". The Times called her performance "superb". At the 75th Tony Awards, she was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Clyde's.

In 2022, Young played a caregiver, Jess, in Martyna Majok's play Cost of Living at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway. At the 76th Tony Awards, she was again nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Cost of Living. In 2023 she portrayed Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins in the revival of the Ossie Davis play Purlie Victorious on Broadway, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2024. In 2025 she won the Best Featured Actress in a Play Tony Award for her work in Purpose, which made her the first black performer to win acting Tony Awards consecutively. Because she was previously nominated for that award, she was also the first black performer to get four consecutive Tony nominations.

In 2026, Young joined the cast of the Broadway revival of Proof as Claire, starring alongside Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle at the Booth Theatre. Young was cast as a last-minute replacement for Samira Wiley, who departed the production due to a medical condition. Young has stated that, due to the suddenness of her addition to the cast, she was only allowed five days of preparation prior to the beginning of technical rehearsals. Her performance was often cited as the strongest element of the show by critics.

Acting credits

Film Year Title Role Director NotesRef. 2018 Hair Wolf Cami Mariama Diallo Short film 2020 Chemical Hearts La Richard Tanne Is God Is Racine the Rough One Aleshea Harris

Television Year Title Role NotesRef.2018 Random Acts of Flyness Janelle Episode: "They Got Some S**t That'll Blow Out Our Back" 2024 Great Performances Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins Episode: "Purlie Victorious"

Theater

Awards and nominations Organizations Year Category Work Result Actors' Equity Foundation 2022 Clarence Derwent AwardsClyde's Antonyo Awards 2019 Best Actor in a Play Off-Broadway All the Natalie Portmans 2022 Best Featured Actor in a Play (Broadway) Clyde's AUDELCO Awards 2020 Special Achievement Award Dorian Awards 2025 Outstanding Featured Performance in a Broadway Play Purpose Drama Desk Awards 2022 Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Clyde's 2023 Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play Cost of Living Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play Twelfth Night 2024 Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play Purlie Victorious 2025 Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play Purpose 2026 Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play Gruesome Playground Injuries Drama League Awards 2024 Distinguished Performance Purlie Victorious 2025 Distinguished Performance Purpose / Table 17 2026 Distinguished Performance Gruesome Playground Injuries / Proof Innovative Theatre Awards 2017 Outstanding Actress in a Featured Role In the Event of My Death Lilly Awards 2022 Stacey Mindich Go Work in Theater Award Lucille Lortel Awards 2020 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play All the Natalie Portmans 2025 Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play Table 17 2026 Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play Gruesome Playground Injuries Obie Awards 2020 Performance Twelfth Night Outer Critics Circle Awards 2024 Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play Purlie Victorious 2025 Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play Purpose Tony Awards 2022 Best Featured Actress in a Play Clyde's 2025 Best Featured Actress in a Play Purpose