After one season with the Black Hills Playhouse, executive director Bruce Halverson is moving on.

Halverson informed the Black Hills Playhouse Board Aug. 1 that he accepted a position as president of the new South Carolina Governor's School of the Arts and Humanities in Greenville, S.C. Halverson said the school came to him with the job opportunity.

Playhouse Board President Joyce Hazeltine didn't expect Halverson to leave so soon, but said she understands his decision.

"It was a surprise in a way, except that he's so good that I can see why he had to take the opportunity," Hazeltine said.

Halverson will be with the Playhouse through the rest of its 2007 season and will help plan the 2008 season. Halverson will also serve as a consultant to the Playhouse if needed.

Halverson began as executive director in April after the Playhouse underwent a controversial restructuring late last year.

Hazeltine said Halverson took the helm at a time when the Playhouse faced a very uncertain future. "We would not even have had a season this year if we would have continued the way we were going," Hazeltine said. "We didn't have the money to do it."

The 60-year-old professional theater company, located at a former CCC Camp inside Custer State Park, has been dogged by disintegrating facilities for years.

Since taking over as executive director, Halverson has raised enough money to build several new buildings on the campus and demolish deteriorated buildings, Hazeltine said.

Under the guidance of Halverson, the Playhouse also managed to wipe out $50,000 to $60,000 of debt.

Despite the progress, however, the Playhouse's 2007 season has faced challenges. Ticket sales are down about 15 percent, and reviews have been mixed. Halverson isn't surprised by the decrease in ticket sales, attributing it to the lack of a major musical.

"Big well-known musicals drive the sales and we didn't have one of those. That's what the difference is," he said.

Shortly before the 2007 season began, Halverson made changes to the season, for both financial and logistical reasons. For example, royalties for the previously advertised "Chicago" were unavailable.

Halverson said he had to consider the transitional state of the cash-strapped Playhouse when planning the season. Royalties for big musicals such as "Chicago" typically cost about $25,000. Musical also require extensive costumes, which cost money and require an adequate facility, he said. "By not having one of those (big musicals), we significantly reduced our costs, so it balances out in the end," he said.

Hazeltine believes backlash from the emotional restructuring is also playing a role in reduced ticket sales. It's a factor she finds hard to stomach.

"In one breath, they say we want to keep it and keep it where it is. In the next breath, they say, 'I'm not going.' Yes, it's frustrating," she said.

The state threw another glitch in the Playhouse's summer when it made plans to replace the park's sewer system, notifying the Playhouse they would be required to foot the bill to be part of the project. So far, estimates of doing that are as high as $300,000, Hazeltine said.

Despite the financial problems and deteriorating facilities, Halverson remains optimistic about the future of the Playhouse.

"The Playhouse is on very solid ground. We're proud of where it is. … That's one of the reasons I felt I could leave," he said. "In so many ways, the season has been tremendously successful."

Hazeltine sounds less certain. Addressing concerns that the Playhouse may eventually have to be moved from the Park, Hazeltine said the Board hopes to avoid that scenario. "There's a possibility we might have to move. We have some options," she said.

Hazeltine declined to say what the options were, preferring to wait for word from Gov. Mike Rounds' office. The governor's office created a task force this summer to outline the problems facing the Playhouse and explore solutions. Both Halverson and Hazeltine were on the task force, which submitted its ideas to the governor last week.

Until Rounds' office is ready to comment, Hazeltine won't offer any specifics, but she has high hopes that things will fall into place for the Playhouse.

"We're going to try to weather the storm for the next two years and see what happens," she said. "Since we've survived this summer's storm, … we can definitely look forward to a new season .. new seasons, let's put it that way."

Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at 394-8414 or lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com.