No conflict in Yellow Robe's dramas

Balance, not conflict, drives American Indian playwrightConflict—the thing that drives American drama—isn’t something William S. Yellow Robe Jr. strives to include in his writing.

Conflict in English literature is always defined as struggle, Yellow Robe recently told his students in his American Indian drama class at the University of Maine. For the playwright, who has written nearly 50 plays, bringing the lives of his characters into balance and finding clarity is the point.

"Balance is when you have a sense of clarity of all the components [in the play]," he said. "When you find it, that’s really and truly an achievement."Comment:  Drama without conflict? Hmm. I didn't know that was possible.