Why Kara believes theatre can change your brain chemistry

Since reaching Broadway in 2021, Kara Young has earned an extraordinary series of theatre accolades. She recently made theatre history as the first person nominated in the Best Featured Actress in a Play category consecutively for four years, and she became the first Black actor to win back-to-back Tonys last year when she took the award for her role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Purpose” by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

Now she is performing in the first Broadway revival in 25 years of another Pulitzer Prize-winning play, David Auburn’s “Proof,” stepping into the role of Claire alongside Don Cheadle, Ayo Edebiri and Jin Ha. It’s the first Broadway production of the play, directed by Tommy Kail, to feature Black leads.

Speaking with Reuters at the Booth Theatre in New York City a few hours before opening night, Young discusses why this production feels urgent, why she believes theatre can change your brain chemistry, and her upcoming film opening in theatres on May 15.

For readers who may be encountering ‘Proof’ for the first time, how would you describe the play?

For me, it’s about unlocking Black genius. Now we have Black people in this play, so it becomes a very different story. It becomes a story about gentrification. It becomes a story about mental illness. It becomes a story about grief. It becomes a story about caretaking.

It’s about a young woman taking care of her father as his mental and physical health decline. My character, Claire, is her sister, who comes in and we can see the family dynamics very quickly because I haven’t been there, but I’ve been taking care of the family financially all this time. It’s also a psychological drama about this young woman realizing what happened to her in the last five years of being a caretaker - and the life she might have missed out on through that self-sacrifice.

You’ve said theatre can change your brain chemistry. What do you mean by that?

You never know what’s going to hit someone. Someone might be holding on to a moment in the story that literally shifts their consciousness, that shifts something inside of them. And they walk out a different person than how they walked in. It changes my chemistry too, on the stage and as a theatergoer. I love Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, Broadway, immersive theatre, ballet, opera — all of it. It changes something inside of you because of the intentional value of what performers are doing and sharing ... the powers have all aligned. When I say the powers align, I mean costumes, lighting, set design, the actors, the director, the playwright. It almost seems like the most impossible thing to do — and then we give it to the people. It’s like a grand offering.

Before Broadway and before all of your nominations, what did success look like to you?

I remember a time when I wasn’t getting paid for anything and I was working five jobs. But if I needed to take off a shift, I’d be doing something in theatre. I remember that it actually felt really good to pursue the thing that I loved the most. It wasn’t about anything else but that. The accolades have been beautiful markers of this journey, but they are the most fleeting moments in time. Being able to create community, build community, and continue to be in the theater community is something that feels very dear to me.

What’s keeping you grounded right now?

Being with my mom and my dad a lot. Spending time with my brother as much as possible. Being with my family. I try to stay as grounded as possible within my old block. Saying hello to my neighbours, saying good morning, good afternoon, good night. Trying to be in the world. Trying to take the train. Family is always the secret sauce.

Reuters