Stages of Conflict brings together a vast array of dramatic texts, ambitiously tracing the intersection of theater and social and political life in the Americas over the past five centuries. Including eighteen works faithfully translated into English, the collection moves from a sixteenth century Mayan dance-drama to a 2003 production by the first published indigenous playwright in Mexico. Historical pieces from the sixteenth century to the present highlight the encounter between indigenous tradition and colonialism, while contributions from modern playwrights such as Virgilio Pinero, Jose Triana, and Denise Stolkos take on the tumultuous political and social upheavals of the past century. The editors have added comprehensive critical commentary that details the origins of each play, affording scholars and students of theater, performance studies, and Latin American studies the opportunity to view the history of a continent through its rich and diverse theatrical traditions.

A collection of extraordinary, playable translations from across the Latin American continent, including a new Mario Vargas Llosa play In La Chunga by Mario Vargas Llosa a young gambler down on his luck lends his girlfriend to the lady bar-keeper for the night to pay off a debt. Four years later the girl has neither been seen nor heard of, and the gamblers meet to speculate on the events of that fateful night. In Paper Flowers by Egon Wolff, Eva, a lonely middle class woman puts up a tramp for the night out of the kindness of her heart, only to find that he intends to occupy her life as well as her house, reducing her once and for all to his state. Medea in the Mirror by Jos Triana is an extraordinary re-setting of the Medea story in the Cuban revolution of 1959. As Maria, a young mulatto takes her revenge on Julian for abandoning her for someone else - the play becomes a mirror for the events that took place when Castro ousted the Batista regime.