Stephen Karam

Karam grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in a Lebanese-American family of Maronite Catholic faith.Sod, Ted. [http://blog.roundabouttheatre.org/2011/09/28/a-conversation-with-sons-of-the-prophet-playwright-stephen-karam/ "A Conversation with Sons of the Prophet Playwright, Stephen Karam"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108095836/https://blog.roundabouttheatre.org/2011/09/28/a-conversation-with-sons-of-the-prophet-playwright-stephen-karam/ |date=November 8, 2017 }}, Roundabout Theatre Company, September 28, 2011, accessed July 30, 2016 He graduated in 2002 from Brown University, then apprenticed at the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

There 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. [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/27/theater/stephen-karams-plays-treat-anguish-as-a-laughing-matter.html "Stephen Karam’s Plays Treat Anguish as a Laughing Matter"] New York Times, September 24, 2015 Karam teaches at The New School in New York.[http://www.newschool.edu/drama/faculty-az/?id=4e54-4d78-4d7a-6730 "Faculty. Stephen Karam"] newschool.edu, accessed October 29, 2015 His plays have appeared both Off-Broadway[http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=people&first=Stephen&middle=&last=Karam "Karam Off-Broadway"] lortel.org, accessed October 28, 2015 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 and Janet Carroll, Agnes ('98) starred Alyson Hannigan in her stage debut, and Lies in the Eye of the Beholder ('99) starred Richard Ruccollo.{{Cite web|url=http://www.TheBlank.com|title=The Blank Theatre {{!}} Hollywood's Resident Theatre Since 1990|website=www.theblank.com|access-date=July 5, 2016}}

His musical Emma won the Kennedy Center American College Theater (KCACTF) Musical Theatre Award in 2001.[http://web.kennedy-center.org/Education/KCACTF/awards/Playwriting/MusicalTheater "The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923152513/http://web.kennedy-center.org/Education/KCACTF/awards/Playwriting/MusicalTheater |date=September 23, 2016 }} kennedy-center.org, accessed April 19, 2016

The Roundabout Theatre Company produced Speech & Debate in October 2007 at The Black Box,Hernandez, Ernio. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/three-teens-team-for-speech-debate-at-roundabouts-black-box-144909# "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 in 2006.[https://brown.edu/Facilities/Theatre/btprep/speechndebate.htm "'Speech & Debate' Listing, 2006"] brown.edu, accessed May 15, 2012 This play was the first at Roundabout Underground, their "initiative to introduce and cultivate artists."

columbinus was produced Off-Broadway in 2006 at the New York Theatre Workshop,{{cite news|url=http://theater.nytimes.com/2006/05/23/theater/reviews/23colu.html?pagewanted=all |title='columbinus': Exploring the Evil That Roams a High School's Halls |work= The New York Times|date=May 23, 2006|first=Charles|last=Isherwood|access-date=January 14, 2013}} following co-premieres in 2005 at the Round House Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland and at Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, Alaska.Jones, Kenneth. [https://archive.today/20120908230223/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/92525-Alaskas-Perseverance-Explores-High-School-Tragedy-in-columbinus-May-4-29 "Alaska's Perseverance Explores High School Tragedy in 'columbinus', May 4-29"], Playbill, April 22, 2005

Sons of the Prophet was produced in 2011 at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Laura Pels Theatre. The play was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/arts/2012-pulitzer-prizes-for-letters-drama-and-music.html |title=2012 Pulitzer Prizes for Letters, Drama and Music |work= The New York Times|date=April 16, 2012|access-date=January 14, 2013}} and winner of the New York Drama Critics' Circle, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards for Best Play.{{cite news|url=http://theater.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/theater/reviews/sons-of-the-prophet-at-laura-pels-theater-review.html?pagewanted=all |title=Blighted Existences, Eased With Hope and Humor |work= The New York Times|date=October 20, 2011|first=Charles|last=Isherwood|access-date=January 14, 2013}}{{cite news|url=http://theater.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/theater/stephen-karams-sons-of-the-prophet-and-dark-sisters.html |title=Darkly Comic Voice Adds a Libretto to His Résumé |work= The New York Times|date=October 6, 2011|first=Rob|last=Weinert-Kendt|access-date=January 14, 2013}}

Dark Sisters is a chamber opera, with the libretto written by Karam and the music composed by Nico Muhly, 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 in November 2011, directed by Rebecca Taichman and conducted by Neal Goren.Hetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/stephen-karam-nico-muhly-opera-dark-sisters-begins-world-premiere-run-nov.--184367# "Stephen Karam-Nico Muhly Opera 'Dark Sisters' Begins World-Premiere Run Nov. 9"], Playbill, November 9, 2011

Karam is the Writer in Residence at the 2016 National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut.Viagas, Robert. [http://www.playbill.com/article/eight-plays-chosen-for-o-39-neill-39-s-national-playwrights-conference# "O'Neill's National Playwrights Conference Bows Today with Eight New Plays on Tap"], Playbill, July 6, 2016

Karam prepared an adaptation of The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, which was presented on Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre in a limited engagement at the American Airlines Theatre from September 15, 2016 (previews), officially on October 16 to December 4. Directed by Simon Godwin, Diane Lane stars as Lyubov Ranevskaya, with Joel Grey (Firs), John Glover (Gaev), Celia Keenan-Bolger (Varya), Harold Perrineau (Lopakhin) and Tavi Gevinson (Anya).Viagas, Robert. [http://www.playbill.com/article/diane-lane-will-star-in-stephen-karam-adaptation-of-cherry-orchard-on-broadway-com-372254# "Diane Lane Will Star in Stephen Karam Adaptation of 'Cherry Orchard' on Broadway"], Playbill, April 5, 2016Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/article/joel-grey-celia-keenan-bolger-will-join-diane-lane-in-broadways-cherry-orchard# "Joel Grey, Celia Keenan-Bolger Will Join Diane Lane in Broadway's 'Cherry Orchard' "], Playbill, July 7, 2016[http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/Shows-Events/The-Cherry-Orchard.aspx The Cherry Orchard], roundabouttheatre.org, accessed September 18, 2016Viagas, Robert. [http://www.playbill.com/article/see-what-the-critics-said-about-the-cherry-orchard-on-broadway# "See What the Critics Said About 'The Cherry Orchard' on Broadway"], Playbill, October 16, 2016

The Humans was Karam's second commission from the Roundabout Theatre; the first was for Sons of the Prophet.Hetrick, Adam and Clement, Olivia. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/stephen-karams-family-drama-the-humans-sets-sights-on-broadway-369087# "Stephen Karam's Family Drama 'The Humans' Sets Sights on Broadway"] Playbill, October 27, 2015[http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=6602 The Humans] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125044046/http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=6602 |date=November 25, 2015 }}, lortel.org, accessed October 27, 2015 The play had its world premiere at the American Theater Company, Chicago, in November 2014,[http://www.theatreinchicago.com/the-humans/7308/ The Humans], theatreinchicago.com, accessed May 4, 2016 directed by PJ Paparelli.[http://www.atcweb.org/?_escaped_fragment_=thehumans/c1ugu The Humans], atcweb.org, accessed May 4, 2016

The Humans ran on Broadway, opening at the Helen Hayes Theatre 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 Pulitzer Prize for Drama,Viagas, Robert. [http://www.playbill.com/article/hamilton-wins-2016-pulitzer-prize-com-347196# "'Hamilton' Wins 2016 Pulitzer Prize; Miranda Reacts"] 2016 Obie Award for Playwriting,Obie Awards, [http://www.obieawards.com/events/year-2016/ 2016 Winners] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171124165533/http://www.obieawards.com/events/year-2016/ |date=November 24, 2017 }}.Playbill, April 18, 2016 and won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play.Viagas, Robert. [http://www.playbill.com/article/tony-time-its-broadways-biggest-night# " 'Hamilton' Tops Tony Awards With 11 Wins"] Playbill, June 12, 2016

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, 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."Haugland, Charles. [http://www.huntingtontheatre.org/articles/Stephen-Karam-A-Quick-Look-at-the-Playwright/ "Stephen Karam: A Quick Look At The Playwright"] huntingtontheatre.org, accessed October 30, 2015

Peter Marks, writing in The Washington Post 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."Marks, Peters. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/how-a-humane-playwright-made-it-all-the-way-to-broadway/2016/02/18/941549e0-d4ca-11e5-be55-2cc3c1e4b76b_story.html "How a humane playwright made it all the way to Broadway"] The Washington Post, February 19, 2016

• The Cherry Orchard, adapted (2016)
• The Humans (2014)
• Sons of the Prophet (2011)
• Dark Sisters (2011)
• Speech & Debate (2006)
• columbinus (2005)
• Girl on Girl (2005)
• Emma (2000)

• Speech & Debate (2017, screenwriter)
• The Seagull (2018, screenwriter)Lloyd Webber, Imogen. [http://www.broadway.com/buzz/181555/tony-winner-michael-mayer-taps-brian-dennehy-elisabeth-moss-more-broadway-alums-for-the-seagull-movie/ "Tony Winner Michael Mayer Taps Brian Dennehy, Elisabeth Moss & More Broadway Alums for 'The Seagull' Movie"] broadway.com, July 23, 2015
• The Humans (2021, screenwriter, director){{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/03/film-adaptation-of-the-humans-play-in-works-by-a24-iac-scott-rudin-eli-bush-1202574862/|title = Film Adaptation Of 'The Humans' Play In Works By A24, IAC, Scott Rudin & Eli Bush|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Mike Jr.|last=Fleming|date=March 13, 2019|accessdate=September 19, 2019}}

• 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.[http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Stephen-Karam-Zinnie-Harris-Honored-With-2015-Berwin-Lee-Playwrights-Award-Tonight-20150319 "Stephen Karam & Zinnie Harris Honored With 2015 Berwin Lee Playwrights Award Tonight"] broadwayworld.com, March 19, 2015

He is a MacDowell Colony 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. [http://www.playbill.com/article/stephen-karam-wins-new-horton-foote-playwriting-award "Stephen Karam Wins New Horton Foote Playwriting Award"] playbill.com, February 23, 2016

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Category:21st-century American dramatists and playwrights

Category:21st-century American male writers

Category:21st-century American screenwriters

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Category:American male screenwriters

Category:American writers of Lebanese descent

Category:Brown University alumni

Category:Film directors from Pennsylvania

Category:American LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights

Category:LGBTQ people from Pennsylvania

Category:Living people

Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

Category:Screenwriters from Pennsylvania

Category:Writers from Scranton, Pennsylvania

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)