Kara Young on her record-setting Tony Award win for ‘Purpose’
With her triumph as Best Featured Actress in a Play for the second year in a row, Young is now the first Black performer to win back-to-back Tonys for acting.
Kara Young notched her place in Broadway history by winning the Best Featured Actress in a Play Tony Award for her role in Purpose on Sunday, June 8.
Following her win for the same prize last year for Purlie Victorious, Young is now the first Black performer to win back-to-back acting Tonys. She was also up for the award in 2022 for Clyde’s and 2023 for Cost of Living, making her the first Black performer to get four (and also to get three) consecutive nominations.
“In this world that [is] so divided, theatre is [...] a safe, a sacred space that we have to honor and cherish and it makes us united,” she said in her speech on stage at Radio City Music Hall.
In the press room following her win, she doubled down on that notion, telling reporters theatre is where she finds “love, connection, and purpose.”
That’s true, she added, “whether I have the fortunate honor of being in the play or the fortunate honor of being an audience member [...] In the theatre, nothing else matters but the story.”
In Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s Purpose, a topical comedy-drama that won the Tony for Best Play as well as a Pulitzer Prize, Young plays Harlem social worker Aziza. She watches, aghast, as a family’s secrets and lies get exposed.
Being part of the production has sparked an “overwhelming amount of gratitude,” she said, adding that she doesn’t yet “fully understand the gravity” of her history-making situation with this Tony win.
On the other hand, Aziza is a character she comprehends fully. She’s in her bones, in a way: “She's Harlem, born and raised, and so am I.”
Asked what she’d tell her younger self, Young reflected and then shared advice given to her by Elizabeth Rodriguez, a 2011 featured actress Tony nominee for The Motherf--ker with the Hat: “Don’t let anybody clip your wings,” Young said. “We have infinite abilities inside of us.”
Read New York Theatre Guide's interview with Kara Young.
Gillian Russo contributed reporting to this story.
Top image credit: Kara Young delivering her acceptance speech at the 2025 Tony Awards. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
In-article image credit: Young in Purpose on Broadway. (Photo by Marc J. Franklin)
Frequently asked questions
What's the age requirement for Purpose?
The recommended age for Purpose is Ages 12+..
How do you book tickets for Purpose?
Book tickets for Purpose on New York Theatre Guide.
How long is Purpose?
The running time of Purpose is 2hr 50min. Incl. 1 intermission.
Where is Purpose playing?
Purpose is playing at Hayes Theater. The theatre is located at 240 West 44th Street, New York, 10036.
Who directed Purpose?
TV and stage star Phylicia Rashad directs this new play, making its Broadway premiere.
What is Purpose about?
See the four-star (Chicago Tribune) Purpose play on Broadway. A new work from Tony Award winner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Appropriate), Purpose in New York is an epic family drama directed by Phylicia Rashad. Now the recipient of six Tony Award nominations.
Who wrote Purpose?
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, a Pulitzer finalist and MacArthur "Genuys" grant winner, wrote this play after his smash hit, Appropriate.
Is Purpose good?
Purpose got rave reviews in Chicago during its run at acclaimed theatre Steppenwolf, including two four-star reviews from the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.
Is Purpose appropriate for kids?
Purpose will be intended for a more mature audiences and children must be four and over to come see Broadway shows.
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