Kara Young spends a rare day off brunching with her family in Harlem and popping into beauty supply stores along 125th Street.
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 on the west side of Harlem — and lives just three blocks from where she was born — has been able to share her success with the community that raised her.
Ms. Young, whose parents immigrated from Belize, attended elementary school and high school in Spanish Harlem, the neighborhood on the east side of Manhattan known for its Puerto Rican culture. “It’s a super beautiful community,” she said.
“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.
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Source: Theater - nytimes.com
