Many actors have to leave their support systems behind when they set out to follow their Broadway dreams.
But Kara Young, a Tony Award-winning actress who grew up in Harlem — and lives just three blocks from where she was born — has been able to share her success with the community that raised her.
“It’s a super beautiful community,” Ms. Young said of Spanish Harlem, the neighborhood on the east side of Manhattan known for its Puerto Rican culture. She attended elementary school and high school there after her parents immigrated from Belize.
“But at the same time,” she added, “I recognize that I’ve been privileged to be able to stay in the community I grew up in. Gentrification is real.”
It was at the 92nd Street Y, she said, that she first became hooked on theater. Her older brother, Klay, was taking a mime class as part of an after-school program — and a 5-year-old Ms. Young knew she wanted in.
Soon she was performing with the other students around Manhattan, and “that set off my imagination,” she said.
She earned an associate degree in acting from the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts and balanced several rotating gigs — babysitting and working at a cigar bar, a restaurant and an office — while going to auditions.
“I said to myself, ‘Either you’re going to do this, or you’re going to fail,’” she said.
Ms. Young made her Broadway debut in 2021 and won her first Tony Award last year for her role as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins in the Broadway revival of Ossie Davis’s satire “Purlie Victorious.” Her next role is in the family drama “Purpose,” set to open Feb. 25.
Ms. Young, who often plays young characters but declined to give her age, lives in a two-bedroom apartment in Harlem with her partner, the actor and playwright Biko Eisen-Martin.
CREATURE OF HABIT It doesn’t matter how late I’m up the night before — my body still gets up at 6:30 or 7 a.m. with no alarm. Sleeping in takes great effort.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE I’m drinking water, then throwing some cold water on my face, then hopping in the shower. It wakes up my body.
Meanwhile, Biko makes coffee — he’s really into it. He grinds the beans fresh and does drip.
FAMILY BRUNCH I’m usually working Saturdays and Sundays, so when I do have a rare Sunday off, it’s all about spending time with family. We’ll get together for brunch at Melba’s, or Archer & Goat. I’ll get two eggs over medium, maybe some turkey bacon. Or I might order a waffle, with lots of butter and syrup on the side.
RETAIL THERAPY I love walking up and down 125th Street and popping into the beauty supply stores. They have everything you could ever need. I might get new earrings, or you can buy all kinds of different hair if you want to do your braids different, or new shampoos or oils for your scalp, or eyelashes. I’m like a kid in a candy store.
EAR CANDY I’ve been getting into audiobooks lately. I was just listening to “Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments” by Saidiya Hartman. And then the “Purlie Victorious” playwright Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee do the audiobook of their story together. It’s amazing to hear their voices. I’ve also started listening to music purposefully. I love Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s new albums. I also listen to a lot of old-school reggae — Beres Hammond, Buju Banton and Sanchez. And rap, I need my rap! I love Tyler, the Creator and Doechii. I’m also into this incredible Asian R&B artist named SAILORR.
SUNDAY IS SHOW DAY When you’re in a show, it’s hard to see your actor friends’ shows, because your performances are often on the same days and times. So when I’m between shows, I go to town! I’ll see a matinee, or maybe even two shows, if I can find one with an evening curtain.
CATCHING UP I’ll spend the afternoon on the phone, calling up people I haven’t spoken to in a while — my mentors, my family, my fellow artists. It might even be my mom, even though I might have just left her. Me and my mom can be on the phone for hours, and other times it’s less than a two-minute call just to hear her voice. Sometimes I think I bother her too much! Also usually Portia, Liza Colón-Zayas and Patrice Johnson — I’ve been watching them for years and am in awe not only of their instruments, but also their spirits.
CHEF KARA If I have time, I’ll cook dinner. I wish I had more time to spend in the kitchen; I love it. I take pride in my arroz con gandules, which I learned how to make from the Puerto Rican mothers of my childhood friends. You have to make your own sofrito — it’s taken some practice! I definitely haven’t mastered it.
BETTER OFFER Or I might go over to my dad’s for dinner; my father is an incredible cook. His baby lamb chops are to die for. He’s been in the hospitality industry for so long — he’s worked at the Rainbow Room for more than 30 years — and seen some of the best chefs ever cook. My father makes really great Thai food, fantastic Indian food, and, of course, traditional Belizean food. We get to taste a little bit of his hospitality education through his meals.
TURN-MY-BRAIN-OFF TV I’ll end the night with either “The Real Housewives of Potomac” or a documentary. I wouldn’t call it winding down, though. My brain always feels like it’s on.
ONE MORE TIME I shower at night, too — I like to be extra clean!
HEAD STILL SPINNING I crawl into bed around midnight, though I don’t usually fall asleep until around 3 a.m. It’s hard to turn my brain off. The characters I play never really go away — they live inside me. I was sitting across from this iconic actress the other day, and she told me she’d heard that characters in plays are like spirits that haven’t found a body. You happen to be the body that they are entering so that they can live for this moment in time. That’s a beautiful way to think about it.
