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Kara Young

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BIO

KARA YOUNG recently starred on Broadway as ‘Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins’ in Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, for which she won a 2024 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play. She had made history prior to her win, as her third consecutive Tony nomination makes her the first Black performer to be nominated three years in a row. Additionally, her performance in Purlie Victorious has earned her an Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award and Drama League nomination. Young was most recently seen starring in MCC Theater’s Table 17. In 2022, she made her Broadway debut in Lynn Nottage’s Clyde’s, for which she earned a Theatre World Award and her first Tony nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play. In 2023, she was Tony nominated for her work in Cost of Living and won an Obie Award for her performance in the Classical Theatre of Harlem’s production of Twelfth Night. Kara can next be seen starring in the feature film Is God Is. She can also be seen in Boots Riley’s I’m a Virgo for Prime Video, which earned her an Indie Spirit Nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance. She appeared in HBO Max’s “The Staircase” as well as Netflix’s “The Punisher” and starred in the winning Sundance Short, Hair Wolf. Kara also starred in MCC Theater’s All The Natalie Portmans, for which she received a Lucille Lortel Award Nomination. Her other stage credits include Halfway Bitches Go Straight To Heaven, New Englanders, Revolving Cycles Truly and Steadily Roll’d and Pretty Hunger.

Photos

STAGE CREDITS

The Whoopi Monologues
[Off-Broadway]
2026
Ensemble
Gruesome Playground Injuries
[Off-Broadway]
2025
Kayleen
Purpose Purpose
[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 2025
Performer
Table 17 Table 17
[Off-Broadway]
MCC Theatre Off-Broadway Premiere Production, 2024
Jada
Purlie Victorious Purlie Victorious
[Broadway]
Broadway Revival Production, 2023
Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins
Cost of Living Cost of Living
[Broadway]
Manhattan Theatre Club Original Broadway Production, 2022
Jess
Clyde's Clyde's
[Broadway]
2021
Performer
All the Natalie Portmans All the Natalie Portmans
[Off-Broadway]
MCC Theater's Off-Broadway World Premiere, 2020
Cast
Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
[Off-Broadway]
Atlantic Theatre's Off-Broadway World Premiere, 2019
The New Englanders The New Englanders
[Off-Broadway]
Manhattan Theatre Club Off-Broadway World Premiere, 2019
Performer
The Revolving Cycles Truly and Steadily Roll'd
[Off-Broadway]
World Premier Production, 2018
Karma

Movies

Lunatics Lovers & Actors
[ 2009 ] Leticia
Saving Julian
[ 2012 ] Kara
Cybornetics
[ 2012 ] Lisa
Cybornetics: Urban Cyborg
[ 2013 ] Lisa
Fishbowl
[ 2015 ] Audition Monitor
Bruce!!!!
[ 2017 ] DJ Love Jones
Meat Puppet: The Filmed Experience
[ 2017 ] Harley Patrón
King of Knives
[ 2020 ] Darla
Materna
[ 2020 ] Kara
Chemical Hearts
[ 2020 ] LolaLaHaynes
Blow Up My Life
[ 2022 ] Charlie August
Master
[ 2022 ] Scha
We Strangers
[ 2024 ] Mari Winters
The Hand That Feeds
[ 2025 ] Fatima
Is God Is
[ 2026 ]

TV Shows

Great Performances
Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins

Awards and Nominations


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 2025 - Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play

Kara Young, Purpose

Drama League Awards - 2025 - DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE

Kara Young, Purpose

Drama League Awards - 2025 - DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE

Kara Young, Table 17

Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2025 - Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play

Kara Young, Purpose


winner
Tony Awards - 2025 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Kara Young, Purpose

Drama Desk Awards - 2024 - Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play

Kara Young, Purlie Victorious

Drama League Awards - 2024 - Distinguished Performance

Kara Young, Purlie Victorious


winner
Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2024 - Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play

Kara Young, Purlie Victorious


winner
Tony Awards - 2024 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Kara Young, Purlie Victorious

Drama Desk Awards - 2023 - Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play

Kara Young, Cost of Living

Drama Desk Awards - 2023 - Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play

Kara YoungTwelfth Night

Tony Awards - 2023 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Kara Young, Cost of Living


winner
Obie Awards - 2022 - Performance Award

Kara YoungTwelfth Night


winner
Theatre World Awards - 2022 - Theatre World Awards

Kara Young, Clyde's

Tony Awards - 2022 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Kara Young, Clyde's

Videos

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News


The Best Theater of 2025: Shows that Ruled the Year Photo
The Best Theater of 2025: Shows that Ruled the Year
by Sidney Paterra - Jan 1, 2026

As 2025 comes to a close, New York City's top theatre critics have been taking stock of this theatre season- deciding on their personal choices for their favorite productions of the year. The season has been full of so many stellar plays, musicals, revivals and new works, both on Broadway and off.
Meet the Cast of ALL OUT: COMEDY ABOUT AMBITION, Now in Previews on Broadway Photo
Meet the Cast of ALL OUT: COMEDY ABOUT AMBITION, Now in Previews on Broadway
by Stephi Wild - Dec 12, 2025

The world premiere of All Out: Comedy About Ambition by Simon Rich, with direction by Tony Award-winner Alex Timbers, begins performances on December 12 at the Nederlander Theatre. Meet the cast of All Out here!
The Classical Theatre Of Harlem Adds Performance HARLEM HOLIDAYS With Renée Elise Go Photo
The Classical Theatre Of Harlem Adds Performance HARLEM HOLIDAYS With Renée Elise Goldsberry
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Dec 10, 2025

In response to high demand and a rapid sell-out of the originally scheduled performance, The Classical Theatre of Harlem has added a second show of Harlem Holidays Featuring Renée Elise Goldsberry.
Spotlight: #SAYHERNAME at El Museo del Barrio Photo
Spotlight: #SAYHERNAME at El Museo del Barrio
by BWW Special Offer - Dec 2, 2025

#SayHerName: The Lives That Should Have Been
AAPF to Present Staged Reading of #SAYHERNAME: THE LIVES THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN In Dec Photo
AAPF to Present Staged Reading of #SAYHERNAME: THE LIVES THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN In December
by A.A. Cristi - Nov 19, 2025

The African American Policy Forum will present a fundraising staged reading of #SayHerName: The Lives That Should Have Been on December 8, 2025, in New York City.
Wake Up With BroadwayWorld November 17, 2025- AIDA Oral History Dives Deep On the Ico Photo
Wake Up With BroadwayWorld November 17, 2025- AIDA Oral History Dives Deep On the Iconic Musical and More
by - Nov 17, 2025

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is November 17, 2025 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed over the weekend.
Review: TABLE 17 at Geffen Playhouse Photo
Review: TABLE 17 at Geffen Playhouse
by Evan Henerson - Nov 16, 2025

The fervor of a given audience – kind of its own character in this play - probably helps distract from the fact that, its sweet vibes aside, there’s not a lot of there in Lyons’ play. It’s a good time, but it’s light as a spritz of air freshener.
From Chicago to NYC: Steppenwolf’s Broadway Boom Photo
From Chicago to NYC: Steppenwolf’s Broadway Boom
by Stephi Wild - Nov 1, 2025

Many Steppenwolf productions have made the jump to Broadway, with three shows transferring in 2025 alone. Learn more about Purpose, Bug, The Minutes, and more!
More News

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many Broadway shows has Kara Young been in?

Kara Young has appeared on Broadway in 4 shows.

How many West End shows has Kara Young been in?

Kara Young has not appeared in the West End.

What awards has Kara Young been nominated for?

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Purpose, DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE (Drama League Awards) for Purpose, DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE (Drama League Awards) for Table 17, Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Purpose, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Purpose, Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Purlie Victorious, Distinguished Performance (Drama League Awards) for Purlie Victorious, Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Purlie Victorious, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Purlie Victorious, Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Cost of Living, Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Twelfth Night, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Cost of Living, Performance Award (Obie Awards) for Twelfth Night, Theatre World Awards (Theatre World Awards) for Clyde's and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Clyde's.

What awards has Kara Young won?

Kara Young has won several prestigious awards for her performances. She received the Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play at the Drama Desk Awards for Purpose, as well as the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play at the Tony Awards for Purpose. She was also honored with the Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play at the Outer Critics Circle Awards for Purlie Victorious, along with the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play at the Tony Awards for the same production. Additionally, Kara Young earned a Performance Award at the Obie Awards for Twelfth Night and was recognized with a Theatre World Award for her work in Clyde's.

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