Harpers Ferry:An Examination of the Theory of “Objective Conflict” in the Plays of Barrie Stavis

Abstract

Barrie Stavis is not your run of the mill playwright. Some consider him the only playwright today writing serious plays embodying a social, political and historical awareness. And yet, respected as he is by those who have come in contact with his work, he remains something of a forgotten artist, unknown to the public, even theater-goers. As Arthur H. Ballet says in his remarks on Stavis in Contemporary Dramatists, He is a 'pro.' Methodical, organized, enthusiastic, and almost pristinely professional as he is, there is a double irony in the fact that he has never really had a hit on Broadway.' Of course, a Broadway hit is not the only way to establish a successful career as a playwright. There is, however, a discrepancy between Stavis' lack of impact on the general theater-going public and the respect that his work receives from a number of thoughtful critics. This is particularly noteworthy in light of Ballet's assertion that, To non-Americans ... Stavis represents the clearest and 'most' American voice of the time. As perhaps is still true of O'Neill, Stavis seems most American to those who are least American, and he seems most 'universal' to his American audiences.2