The first day of the new show

The cast for Charlotte's Web is all set -- though it was nip and tuck until the last minute -- and we're ready for another great musical production.
Duncan Bockus is back as the director after a two-year hiatus. He's been at the helm for many of the group's best shows over the years.
Today, with the cast surrounding him in folding chairs, Duncan told everyone what to expect from him.
He said he wants the actors to show imagination on stage, to try things and to make the characters their own.
"Every line," Duncan said, "you have to find out what's important in that line" and make it come alive.
"Every one of you has that capability," he said.
Duncan warned that he's sometimes a little gruff.
"I'm going to pick on you like nobody ever has," he warned, but not because he's mean-spirited.
Instead, he said, it's about doing the best possible job to make the show sing.
"I want every one of you to feed off each other's energy and joy," Duncan said.
The new assistant director, Sherry Williams, a 30-year veteran of teaching junior high school drama, got in the spirit as well.
"This is a magical kind of effort we do," she said. "That's what we create here."
After the introductions, and getting a quick overview of the group and the way it runs, the cast began the first reading of the show.