Expert: John T. Aney - 12/14/2006

Question
Hi. I'm a professional actor and I've had extensive experience/training, and somehow it's always bothered me that drama is all about conflict. Drama happens when two people are in conflict, not when they are a peace and in agreement and harmony. I know this is true. But doesn't that imply that peace, harmony, and people getting along together is inherently boring? So doesn't that imply that what people really want to see is people fighting each other, and yet we all say we want a world full of peace and love. Are all of these things really dramtically boring? I know this is more of a philosophical question, but it's been on my mind lately. thanks Jim

Answer
James,

Wow - what a great question!  So different from the usual "what monologue should I do" question!

I think the confusion lies in some of the terms you are trying to reconcile.  Conflict, peace, violence, fighting, harmony - these are all very different terms representing different ideas, and there is no consensus on what any of them mean!

Sure, it's absolutely true that we all seek peace.  But peace, to me, means the absence of violence, not necessarily the absence of conflict.

Conflict is a natural part of human existence.  At it's basic level, conflict just means disagreement.  Interesting drama occurs when two or more characters are in conflict - but that can be as simple as each one wanting something different from the other.  Conflict doesn't always mean violence and fighting. Sometimes it just means disagreement.

Some of the greatest dramas are created from conflicts that are not violent in nature.  Yes, of course, all of Chekhov's plays have a violent act of some sort in them, but the conflict rarely arises from the violence.  The conflict comes from different dreams, different desires, different behaviors, in conflict with each other.  That's far from boring.

Of course, we all want peace and love to reign in the world.  But we cannot get rid of conflict or disagreement.  It's what makes us human.

Is this enough of an answer?  I'd be happy to think on it some more and write to you - email me at johnaney@gmail.com if you want to further this discussion.

jta