Last August, John Hedges started his new job as executive director of Weathervane Community Playhouse, knowing he would be scrutinized. Hedges, as theatergoers might recall, was hired after a national search during the 2006-07 season, following the departure of former executive director Elynmarie Kazle in August 2006. Before Hedges moved to Akron with his wife, Melissa Owens, and daughters Rachel, 8, and Mary, 7, he had heard that Weathervane had become, in his words, a ''nest of political infighting.'' Word was that budget shortfalls and the treatment of volunteers — the largest work force at this community venture — had divided Weathervane.

''People were wondering . . . how would I be in this job, what kind of person would I be,'' Hedges, 50, said in an extended conversation at his office earlier this week.

A personable, approachable former professional actor with a flair for sound bites like ''We're going to be selling the sizzle more than the steak,'' Hedges said he initially spent a lot of time assessing Weathervane's place in Akron.

Hedges laughed, recalling an early conversation with Mitchell Kahan, the director of the Akron Art Museum. Kahan asked him what he was doing at Weathervane. ''I took it really seriously . . . I told him, 'I'm trying to make the theater matter to people.'

''I think he was probably just asking, 'what show is playing?' ''

Hedges had management experience at small theaters in several states. He didn't want to take anything for granted when he came into his new job.

''A lot of arts organizations kind of hang onto their original missions. They don't realize they need to either change significantly or go out of business,'' Hedges said.

''What I'm really focused on here has less to do with producing plays than — it gives me pause to say this, but I really mean it — it has more to do with improving people's lives.''

Artistic vision

Board President Christopher Esker calls Hedges the face of Weathervane. He's pleased that Hedges has sought out community events to attend, getting to know Akron as it gets to know him.

In a move that could have a powerful effect on audiences, Hedges persuaded the board to appoint him artistic director as well as executive director. In the past, each season's plays were chosen by committee. Now, Hedges will propose a slate of plays — with input from others, including artistic adviser Ian S. Haberman — for board approval.

The change could help Weathervane carve a more specific artistic profile. Instead of a list of plays everybody on the committee feels OK about, they'll have a list — always vetted by the board — that their leader has chosen and feels strongly about.

For audiences in the 2008-09 season, it means at least one out-of-the-ordinary choice on the Weathervane lineup: a new version of Henrik Ibsen's classic tale of marital distress, A Doll's House. It will be directed by New York director Matthew Earnest, whose work Hedges admired in a recent Kent State University production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle and Peter Pan at Porthouse Theatre.

The 19th-century Ibsen play is a masterwork, frequently presented by professional companies. Hedges hopes to offer something distinctive in the Weathervane production, in which the setting will be updated.

''I'm not interested in an archaic production of A Doll's House,'' Hedges said. He's not sure yet what era Earnest will use, but he hopes the update will cast the play in a way that connects to people.

Another unpredictable and intriguing item on the schedule is Bloody Murder, a murder mystery comedy by Hedges' former actor colleague, Ed Sala. The show has been done as a staged reading at the Barter Theatre in Abington, Va., where Hedges was under contract as an actor for 10 years before moving to Akron.

''Every time it's read, people have been falling out of their seats laughing,'' he said. On the subject of laughter, Hedges also mentions Robin Hawdon's Perfect Wedding, a farce he is excited about presenting next season.

Balancing budget

One of the hot-button issues during Kazle's administration was balancing the budget — or rather, the organization's inability to do so.

When Esker joined the Weathervane board in 2003, he was told that operating in the red each season was just the nature of the beast. When there was a shortfall, the board made it up from the endowment.

But the board used a $900,000 bequest from longtime volunteer Vaughn Austin, who died in 2005, as a springboard to change its business model. Before the bequest, the organization's endowment was tiny — approximately $372,000. (A rule of thumb often used for nonprofits is that the endowment should be twice the amount of the annual budget; many organizations try to do better than this. Weathervane's budget for 2008-09 will be close to $800,000.)

After the bequest went through legal channels, it was added to the endowment fund. Now, according to Esker, a small percentage of investment income from the $1.3 million endowment is available each year to use, if needed, to make budget.

Esker said the budget shortfall of $44,000 in 2006-07 was higher than in the past year, because of extra costs such as elevating Janis Harcar to interim executive director and paying Ian S. Haberman to serve as temporary artistic director, not to mention conducting the search that resulted in hiring Hedges.

But Esker says it's reasonable to think, as Hedges does, that the theater will be able to balance its budget for the 2007-08 season when the fiscal year ends July 31.

One thing that will bolster Weathervane's bottom line this season is a more robust education program. Esker and Hedges both praised education director Melanie Y.C. Pepe for seeking out new collaborations and expanding existing partnerships with the Akron Public Schools and other organizations. Weathervane's educational programs are ''crucial to our mission and to our growth,'' Hedges said.

Other ways that the executive director is making his mark on Weathervane:

• Hedges encouraged the board to shift from being a hands-on operating board to a governing board. A sizable production board still reports to Alan Scott Ferrall, the theater's technical director. But Hedges sees the more hands-off governing model as a more sophisticated way to run the theater. It gives the board a chance to ''keep their head out of the sand of their particular organization and . . . be more connected to the community,'' he said.

• Hedges has begun changing the look of Weathervane's advertising, which he said just presented the facts without any emotional message. Hedges points to the bold images in Hollywood ads: ''They aren't selling 'Die Hard 2 is playing at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.' It's the action of the thing that's compelling.''

• Hedges is considering new subscription packages. Subscriptions were up a tiny bit and single tickets have been flat overall in 2007-08. Audiences are older, except at the more contemporary shows at the 48-seat Dietz Theatre. To boost attendance, Hedges is kicking around the idea of a card, like a coffee bar card, with which patrons might get a free play after a certain number of visits.

Positive outlook

Has Weathervane Community Playhouse weathered its leadership transition? The numbers look promising, with the help of the bequest that put Weathervane on a more fiscally sound course.

Board President Esker speaks glowingly of Hedges and can rattle off a list of his attributes.

Barbara Trotter, a volunteer since 2000, sounds happy with him, too. Trotter became Weathervane's volunteer coordinator in March 2006, just months before Elynmarie Kazle left the organization. Trotter supervises backstage crew people and house managers, who take tickets.

Did she observe unhappiness among the volunteers in summer 2006? ''I did see some of that, but to be honest with you, I didn't see quite as much as you would have expected from all the noise,'' Trotter said. ''Some of them were more invested in that struggle. Other people weren't and kind of wanted to step back and observe — to wait and see.''

At any given time, Weathervane has about 300-400 volunteers in its database. The number actually active at any time is always changing, Trotter said. Turnover is to be expected: Students come to get experience and then move on. Parents help if their child is involved, then cycle out.

A lot of organizations go through leadership changes, and that can mean progress, Trotter said. adding, ''I don't think it damaged us in terms of the number or quality of volunteers we got.''

As for Hedges' work so far, Trotter said, ''I think John Hedges is very cognizant of how much volunteers mean to an organization like this. He has proven himself to be a force for good, looking toward the future.''

And what do her troops say?

''From the comments I've heard, they're impressed. They think he's a good choice.''

Weathervane Community Playhouse 2008-09 Season

Sept. 4-21: N. Richard Nash's The Rainmaker

Oct. 9-26: Stephen Schwartz's Children of Eden

Jan. 15-Feb 1, 2009: Ed Sala's Bloody Murder

March 19-April 5: Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House

April 30-May 17: Robin Hawdon's Perfect Wedding

June 4-28: Dale Wasserman's Man of La Mancha

John L. Dietz Theater productions (48-seat "black box")

Oct. 30-Nov. 15: Terrence McNally's Love! Valour! Compassion!

Feb. 26-March 8, 2009: Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel

Young Actor productions

July 25-Aug. 10: Cats 'n' Dogs! Two one-act musicals for children and families - Go, Dog. Go! and Walt Disney's The AristoCats Kids (stage adaptation of the animated feature The AristoCats)

Nov. 28-Dec. 21: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Feb. 4-22: Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Teen actors in collaboration with the Ohio Shakespeare Festival

Special event

Dec. 6-20: Gian Carlo Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors

For tickets, call the Weathervane box office at 330-836-2626 or visit http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.com