Stephen Karam (born ) is an American playwright, screenwriter and director. His plays '' Sons of the Prophet'', a comedy-drama about a Lebanese-American family, and '' The Humans'' were finalists for the

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were ...

in 2012 and 2016, respectively. ''The Humans'' won the 2016

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Play, and Karam wrote and directed a film adaptation of the play, released in 2021.

Biography

Karam grew up in

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

, in a Lebanese-American family of the

Maronite The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the largest ...

faith. He graduated in 2002 from Brown University, then apprenticed at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, where he met Arian Moayed (who is appearing in ''The Humans'') and P. J. Paparelli, who collaborated with him on ''columbinus'' and directed ''The Humans'' in Chicago.Soloski, Alexis
"Stephen Karam’s Plays Treat Anguish as a Laughing Matter"
''New York Times'', September 24, 2015 Karam teaches at

The New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

. His plays have appeared both

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

and on Broadway. Karam was a three-time winner in The Blank Theatre's Nationwide Young Playwrights Festival in 1997, 1998 and 1999. His first play ''A Work of Art'' ('97) starred

Robert Pine Robert Pine (born Granville Whitelaw Pine, July 10, 1941) is an American actor who is best known as Sgt. Joseph Getraer on the television series '' CHiPs'' (1977–1983). Including ''CHiPs'', Pine has appeared in over 400 episodes of television ...

and

Janet Carroll Janet Carroll (December 24, 1940 – May 22, 2012) was an American film, stage and television character actress. Carroll's career spanned more than four decades and included major and supporting roles in Broadway musicals, television and Holl ...

, ''Agnes'' ('98) starred

Alyson Hannigan Alyson Lee Hannigan (born March 24, 1974) is an American actress. After starting her career at age four with appearances in commercials, she moved to Hollywood at age 11 and soon got an agent. Hannigan began her film career with supporting r ...

in her stage debut, and ''Lies in the Eye of the Beholder'' ('99) starred Richard Ruccollo. His musical ''Emma'' won the Kennedy Center American College Theater (KCACTF) Musical Theatre Award in 2001. The

Roundabout Theatre Company The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabeth ...

produced '' Speech & Debate'' in October 2007 at The Black Box,Hernandez, Ernio
"Three Teens Team for Speech & Debate at Roundabout's Black Box"
Playbill, October 29, 2007 after a workshop at Brown/Trinity Playwrights Repertory Theatre in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

in 2006. This play was the first at Roundabout Underground, their "initiative to introduce and cultivate artists." ''

columbinus ''columbinus'' is a play written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli, with contributions by Josh Barrett, Sean McNall, Karl Miller, Michael Milligan and Will Rogers, created by the United States Theatre Project. The play looks at issues of alienatio ...

'' was produced Off-Broadway in 2006 at the

New York Theatre Workshop __NOTOC__ New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) is an Off-Broadway theatre noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 East 4th Street between Second Avenue and Bowery in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, it hou ...

, following co-premieres in 2005 at the Round House Theatre in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, in practice it is an edge cit ...

and at Perseverance Theatre in

Juneau, Alaska The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality A mu ...

. '' Sons of the Prophet'' was produced in 2011 at the

's Laura Pels Theatre. The play was a finalist for the 2012

and winner of the

New York Drama Critics' Circle The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 22 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization is best known for its annual awards for excellence in theater.Jone ...

, Outer Critics Circle and

Lucille Lortel Lucille Lortel (née Wadler, December 16, 1900 – April 4, 1999) was an American actress, artistic director, and theatrical producer. In the course of her career Lortel produced or co-produced nearly 500 plays, five of which were nominated for ...

Awards for Best Play. ''Dark Sisters'' is a chamber opera, with the libretto written by Karam and the music composed by

Nico Muhly Nico Asher Muhly (; born August 26, 1981) is an American contemporary classical music composer and arranger who has worked and recorded with both classical and pop musicians. A prolific composer, he has composed for many notable symphony orchestras ...

, commissioned by the Gotham Chamber Opera, Music-Theatre Group and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. The opera premiered at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at

John Jay College The John Jay College of Criminal Justice (John Jay) is a public college focused on criminal justice and located in New York City. It is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY). John Jay was founded as the only liberal arts co ...

in November 2011, directed by Rebecca Taichman and conducted by Neal Goren. Karam is the Writer in Residence at the 2016 National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in

Waterford, Connecticut Waterford is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Waterford, Ireland. The population was 19,571 at the 2020 census. The town center is listed as a census-designated place (CDP) and had a population of 3,07 ...

. Karam prepared an adaptation of ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by ''Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition ...

'' by

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career a ...

, which was presented on Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre in a limited engagement at the

American Airlines Theatre The American Airlines Theatre, originally the Selwyn Theatre, is a Broadway theater Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling dif ...

from September 15, 2016 (previews), officially on October 16 to December 4. Directed by Simon Godwin,

Diane Lane Diane Colleen Lane (born January 22, 1965) is an American actress. Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at age 14 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film '' A Little Romance''. The two films that could have catapulted her to st ...

stars as Lyubov Ranevskaya, with Joel Grey (Firs), John Glover (Gaev),

Celia Keenan-Bolger Celia Keenan-Bolger (born January 26, 1978) is an American actress and singer. She is known for portraying Scout Finch in the play '' To Kill a Mockingbird'' (2018), which earned her a Tony Award. She has also won three Drama Desk Awards and a ...

(Varya),

Harold Perrineau Harold Perrineau (born August 7, 1963) is an American actor best known for his roles as Michael Dawson in the ABC television series '' Lost'' (2004–2010), Augustus Hill in the HBO television series '' Oz'' (1997–2003), Sheriff Boyd Steven ...

(Lopakhin) and Tavi Gevinson (Anya).

''The Humans''

'' The Humans'' was Karam's second commission from the Roundabout Theatre; the first was for ''Sons of the Prophet''.Hetrick, Adam and Clement, Olivia
"Stephen Karam's Family Drama 'The Humans' Sets Sights on Broadway"
Playbill, October 27, 2015 The play had its world premiere at the American Theater Company, Chicago, in November 2014, directed by PJ Paparelli. ''The Humans'' ran on Broadway, opening at the

Helen Hayes Theatre The Hayes Theater (formerly the Little Theatre, New York Times Hall, Winthrop Ames Theatre, and Helen Hayes Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 240 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Named for actre ...

on February 18, 2016. It premiered Off-Broadway in a Roundabout Theatre Company production at the Laura Pels Theatre on October 25, 2015, and closed on January 3, 2016. ''The Humans'' was a finalist for the 2016

, 2016 Obie Award for Playwriting, and won the 2016

Tony Award for Best Play The Tony Award for Best Play (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award given to the best new (non-musical) play on Broadway, as determined by Tony Award voters. There was no award in the Tonys' first ye ...

Style

According to Alexis Soloski (in ''The New York Times'') "Mr. Karam specializes in painful comedies that really shouldn’t be as funny as they are. In ''Speech & Debate'', which centers on three misfit teenagers, at least two characters have undergone traumatic sexual experiences.... In ''The Humans'', an Irish-American family’s Thanksgiving dinner is dotted with chatter of depression, dementia, illness and the specter of Sept. 11. This, too, is a comedy. At least in part. It is also possibly a horror story." He writes about loss "and the messy, haphazard, necessary ways we get on with our lives afterward." In an article about Karam, Charles Haugland, Artistic Programs & Dramaturgy at Boston's Tony Award-winning

Huntington Theatre Company The Huntington Theatre Company is a professional theatre located in Boston, Massachusetts and the recipient of the 2013 Regional Theatre Tony Award, under the direction of Managing Director Michael Maso. It is notable for its longstanding artist ...

, wrote: "Karam has an uncanny knack for echoing American culture in ways that amuse and compel audiences equally... Karam's humor is notable, and he can be funny in remarkably few words... he is quick to note that he starts his plays with the basics: character and plot." Peter Marks, writing in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' observed: "Through pieces like ''Speech and Debate,'' which explored teenage relationships and the questionable morals of a teacher, and ''Sons of the Prophet,'' about the travails of a pair of brothers living hand-to-mouth in a small Pennsylvania town, Karam has demonstrated an acute perceptiveness for the ways people lean on one another even as they get under each other’s skins.... Karam says he’s drawn to 'the strangeness in people' who live in a state of dread; it’s the psychological realism of the everyday, it seems, that fires his imagination."

Plays

* ''

'', adapted (2016) * '' The Humans'' (2014) * '' Sons of the Prophet'' (2011) * ''Dark Sisters'' (2011) * '' Speech & Debate'' (2006) * ''

'' (2005) * ''Girl on Girl'' (2005) * ''Emma'' (2000)

Filmography

* '' Speech & Debate'' (2017, screenwriter) * ''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' ( rus, Ча́йка, r=Cháyka, links=no) is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 and first produced in 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramatises ...

'' (2018, screenwriter) * '' The Humans'' (2021, screenwriter, director)

Awards and honors

*2012 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for ''Sons of the Prophet'' *2012 Outer Critics' Circle Award for ''Sons of the Prophet'' *2012 Drama Desk Award for ''Sons of the Prophet'' *2012 Lucille Lortel Awards for ''Sons of the Prophet'' *2012 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for ''Sons of the Prophet'' *2016 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for ''The Humans'' *2016 Drama Desk Award for ''The Humans'' *2016 Drama League Award for ''The Humans'' *2016 Obie Award for ''The Humans'' *2016 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for ''The Humans'' *2016 Tony Award for Best Play for ''The Humans'' Karam received the Berwin Lee Playwrights Award in 2015, which includes a $25,000 award as a commission. He is a

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDow ...

fellow. He received the inaugural Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Drama Desk Award for ''Sons of the Prophet''. Karam received the Horton Foote Playwriting Award, awarded by the Dramatists Guild, in February 2016. The award has a $25,000 cash prize.Gans, Andrew
"Stephen Karam Wins New Horton Foote Playwriting Award"
playbill.com, February 23, 2016

References

External links

Website for Stephen Karam
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karam, Stephen 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters American male dramatists and playwrights American male screenwriters American writers of Lebanese descent Brown University alumni Film directors from Pennsylvania American LGBT dramatists and playwrights LGBT people from Pennsylvania Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Screenwriters from Pennsylvania Writers from Scranton, Pennsylvania Year of birth missing (living people)