Kara Young Makes History as the First Black Performer to Win Two Consecutive Tony Awards

Kara Young has made history again, winning the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for the second consecutive year, becoming the first Black performer to win consecutive Tony Awards.

She won for playing Aziza Houston in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins after winning last year for playing Lutiebelle in Purlie Victorious.

She has already made history as the first Black actress to be nominated for a Tony in four consecutive years, breaking her own record for most consecutive nominations for a Black actress. Her other nominations were for Clyde’s in 2022 and Cost of Living in 2023. She has been nominated for a Tony each time she has appeared in a Broadway show. Young is tied with Laurie Metcalf for most consecutive Tony nominations for a performer.

In Purpose, Young plays Aziza, an unexpected guest at the home of the wealthy and influential Jasper family. TheaterMania’s Zachary Stewart wrote in his review, “As she has proven in Clyde’s and Purlie Victorious, Young is the undisputed champion of nervous charm.”