In writing “Bystanders,” I’m tackling a challenge I haven’t before: writing a full-length two-hander. I’ve written short two-handers, but that’s an entirely different form. As part of my process, I’m reading a lot of two-handers to analyze how they tick.
I like this insight from screenwriter Jim Barker. It applies neatly to “Bystanders”:
“Story is a form of persuasion, and the best means of being persuasive is to explore multiple sides of the argument. Having two characters with their own perspectives is part of the means in which the theme and argument is explored, one character ultimately forcing the other to see their differing point of view and forcing them to either remain steadfast in their approach or change.”
Hannah and Zayne share a bond of conflict: What is our duty to the dead? They see this conflict from two different points of view, yet there is enough shared material between them that it is impossible not to oppose each other.
Here are some full-length two-handers for two women that I’m reading (an incomplete list):
The Gift by Mildred Lewis (Thank you, Millie!)
‘Night Mother by Marsha Norman
Goblin Market (musical) by Peggy Harmon and Polly Penn
Always, Patsy Cline (musical) by Ted Swindley
Going to St. Ives by Lee Blessing
This Wide Night by Chloe Moss
Collected Stories by Donald Marguiles
The Roommate by Jen Silverman
Roan @ the Gates by Christina Gorman
Memory House by Kathleen Tolan
What are some of your favorite two-handers?
(Photo by Lisa Fotios from Pexels)