Dann Hauser stops by the Camelot Theatre during a tech rehearsal for "Something Rotten," a musical send-up of Shakespeare now playing at the Talent playhouse. Hauser, executive director since 2014, has used his business experience to help put Camelot on a sound financial footing.

Camelot Theatre in Talent has been known for producing quality shows since its start as Actors Workshop in 1982, but that doesn’t mean it’s always been smooth sailing financially. It’s had its ups and downs.

Today, the theater is in good financial shape, growing its audiences and building reserves.

Camelot’s smart, engaged board of directors and creative artistic staff deserve credit for their roles in achieving recent successes. But the business expertise of Executive Director Dann Hauser has been more than a significant factor in filling seats and improving the company’s fiscal health.

Hauser, 61, joined the board in 2012 and was hired as executive director in 2014.

His leadership was instrumental in Camelot’s paying off debt, surviving the pandemic, and putting the company on a sound financial footing.

He moved to the Rogue Valley 22 years ago, relocating his family from Chicago to work for Musician’s Friend, an online catalog business owned by Guitar Center, a Westlake Village, California, company. Hauser lives in Medford.

“I had no experience in theater before working for Camelot,” he said. “Prior to 2012, I spent 26 years in advertising and direct marketing, working for very large corporations and a few small companies.”

Some of his former employers were the American Medical Association, Budweiser, Sears, Levi’s, Associated Bag, and Playboy.

“Every business required a different approach in developing a marketing strategy to successfully reach customers, promote products and services, and maximize the return,” he said. “Each step along my career taught me the importance of identifying your customers and learning how to reach them effectively.”

At Camelot, he directs and manages operations, fundraising, development and marketing. His first priority as the new ED was to stabilize the theater company. It was no small challenge.

“Our finances were showing significant losses and many shows had low attendance,” he said.

“Establishing budgets, overseeing operations, replacing staff, and focusing on our core creative programming was our path to sustainability and success. That and generating more sponsorships and grants.”

He soon had Camelot in a positive cash flow position.

“By 2019, we were debt-free and had started a small reserve,” he said, “a fortunate situation going into the pandemic closure of 2020.”

His fundraising chops helped Camelot retire a $500,000 mortgage in 2019, and generated more than $800,000 in support during the pandemic closure.

“These campaigns involved generous donors, foundations, and state and federal resources,” he said.

Additionally, Hauser introduced benefit performances that have raised thousands of dollars for local community charities.

Camelot’s biggest theatrical successes have been Broadway musicals and dramas.

“Focusing on that niche, we bring the classic shows to the Camelot stage to attract both seasoned patrons and new theater lovers,” he said.

Many years ago, Camelot introduced its Spotlight Series of musical tribute shows, now an important part of the annual mix of shows.

“Those attract a younger audience, and they cross-promote effectively to the Broadway shows,” he said. “We also added comedy, burlesque and audio drama productions to draw in new customers.”

His hope is that consistently high-quality productions will instill in the minds of both long-time patrons and new customers that “everything at Camelot is excellent entertainment.”

Setting up the season is a joint effort. Artistic Director Olivia Carbone selects all the season programming, based on past performances, production availability, local talent, and theater resources. Hauser develops budgets, marketing strategy and sales forecasts.

“Our board of directors then carefully reviews and approves the plan,” he said. “This multifaceted process keeps our productions on track for maximizing creativity, customer satisfaction and theater success.”

Camelot works with other local theater companies to collaborate on creative offerings, auditions, and marketing.

“We routinely share costumes, props, and stage materials,” he said.

“I also work with local restaurants, wineries, hospitality establishments, chambers of commerce and charitable organizations to foster community support.”

Is there anything new on the horizon for Camelot?

“We plan to continue producing high quality productions and live up to our motto of ‘Where Broadway Meets Talent.’ We installed solar panels in 2021 and have exciting plans for new facility improvements we hope to announce soon,” he said.

Running a small theater company is not without its challenges, but Hauser takes great pleasure in the job.

“The theater is an incredibly dynamic environment,” he said. “The patrons, performers, and collaborative staff make it a joy to work in this industry. I just need to figure out how to keep the drama on the stage,” he laughed.

The drama currently on the stage is “Something Rotten,” a musical send-up of Shakespeare set in Elizabethan times, running through July 16. For more information about the summer show and future productions, and to purchase tickets, go to camelottheatre.org.