Karam grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania in a Lebanese-American family of the Maronite faith.[1] 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,[2] who collaborated with him on columbinus and directed The Humans in Chicago.[3] Karam teaches at The New School.[4] His plays have appeared both Off-Broadway[5] and on Broadway.