The New Englanders' Kara Young on Lauryn Hill's Impact and 'Living Under a Microscope'

Kara Young can currently be seen in Manhattan Theatre Club's The New Englanders, which tells the story of a biracial gay couple and their teenage daughter, played by Young. In honor of the off-Broadway play opening on October 2, Young stopped by Broadway.com's #LiveatFive the following day to celebrate. "There are so many themes in The New Englanders that you can hold on to whatever rings true to you," she said to Paul Wontorek. "For Eisa, she's being raised by a black and white father but really identifies with her black father. She has to figure out what happens next in her life; I'm really interested in how other people view her. My mom said, 'I don't like her. That girl is dangerous.' Everyone has their own opinion."

Her character, Eisa, in the play is a high school senior getting ready to attend the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts who aspires to be the next Lauryn Hill, something with which Young can relate. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album changed my life," she said. "I remember literally writing out all the lyrics of 'Doo-Wop That Thing' in a composition notebook. I then gave handwritten copies of it to my entire class. My character is obsessed with her, too. She is this beautiful black figure that [Eisa] can attach herself to because she's never seen that represented in her world.

Broadway alums Teagle F. Bougere, Patrick Breen and Javier Muñoz are starring alongside Young and, in her words, giving a "masterclass in acting" every night. "I get changed fast just to be able to watch them," she said. "They are just on fire. You can see these really beautiful choices being made that are not even calculated. It's just effortless for them. I love these people so much and am learning from them every day."

On top of her several stage productions, Young also has done some exciting voice over work. "I did the live announcing for the VMAs this year," she said. "I'm outside the stadium in a trailer with a headset on and TV screens, so I'm connected to everyone. I like it because you can mix it up and also be very intimate and casual. It was lit this year."

After The New Englanders plays its final performance on October 20, Young wants to continue to tell similar stories. "I want to go into the in-depth nature of being brown in America. When we're in a lot of white spaces, it's really for survival and a lot of times we're the only ones. What happens when that's the norm? It feels like there's a microscope on you and people are tracking every wrong move you make. I want people to ask questions after my work and have those conversations."

Catch Young in The New Englanders, playing at Manhattan Theatre Club Stage II.

Watch the full #LiveatFive episode below!