Free Showstopper by Lisa Fiedler

dual roles,” I said. “The tricky part is going to be casting it so kids don’t overlap with their own dual character.”
    â€œRight.” Austin turned to a clean page on his pad, then opened the script and began to scan scene after scene, noting which character appeared in each one. Then he began to draw a diagram. To me, it looked like a sort of cross between a flow chart and a family tree.
    â€œLook,” he said. “Cyclops and Circe never appear onstage at the same time. So we can cast Sophia as both Cyclops and Circe, the goddess who turns Odysseus’s men into pigs. And Telemachus and the six-headed monster Scylla don’t overlapeither. How about we cast Spencer as both of them?”
    â€œHe’ll love it,” I predicted. “Not sure how Maxie’s gonna give him five additional noggins, but I’m sure she’ll figure it out. Write it down.”
    It was like putting together some complex puzzle or solving a crazy brainteaser. We even had to take costume changes into consideration. We gave Brady the role of Antinous, the most arrogant of Penelope’s suitors, and the part of Hermes (a speedy god sent by Athena to order Calypso to release Odysseus from her island, Ogygia) went to Elle. In addition to her chorus performance, Mackenzie would play Calypso. We’d have to juggle the members of the Greek chorus in a few scenes and switch out some of the suitors to play Odysseus’s soldiers.
    â€œBut we’re still going to have a hard time putting enough bodies onstage during the suitor scenes,” Austin said. He gave me a sideways look. “Unless . . .”
    â€œUnless what?”
    â€œWe actually recruit more bodies.”
    I sighed. “You mean bring in new kids?”
    Austin nodded. “How else?”
    â€œI thought of that,” I said. “And I love the idea . . . in theory. But it’s too late in the process to start adding new players. We’d have to put out feelers to bring kids in, thenhold another round of auditions. I’m for growing the theater, but right now time is against us.”
    â€œI see what you mean.”
    I pondered the issue for a bit, and an idea struck me. “Why don’t we just cast the kids we already have?”
    â€œHow?” Austin pointed to his flow chart. “We’re already stretching everyone pretty thin as it is.”
    â€œI’m not talking about the actors. I’m talking about Maxie and Gina and Brittany and Deon. Even Susan.”
    â€œThat’s genius,” said Austin. “I mean, they’re already going to be around for every rehearsal. Why not let them get a little stage time!”
    â€œExactly,” I said.
    Then he lifted one eyebrow and smiled. “And what about you?”
    â€œMe?”
    He nodded.
    It wasn’t a completely wacky suggestion. After all, the whole idea to form this theater had been born of my two experiences on stage. In Hollywood, directors appeared in their own movies all the time. But I was pretty sure it was more unusual (if not downright unheard of) for Broadway directors to perform in their own plays.
    â€œMaybe in the next show,” I said at last. “I’m still trying toget a handle on this directing thing. And as for the rest of the crew, they’ll have to be willing. I won’t force them.”
    â€œWhat are you thinking for Susan?” asked Austin, his eyes twinkling.
    â€œWe both know there’s really only one role that would do my sister justice. . . .”
    I smiled and Austin smiled back as we announced in unison, “Zeus!”
    I laughed. “The head honcho of all the gods! Who better?”
    â€œNobody,” Austin agreed. “She’s been rehearsing for this role her whole life!”
    He wrote down Susan’s name, chuckling.
    â€œOkay,” I said, folding my arms and giving him the same raised eyebrow look he’d given me. “What about