COEUR d'ALENE - Think you're busy in the new year? Jadd Davis' winter and spring calendar looks something like this:

* Acting roles in two productions in the Seattle area.

* Moving back to Post Falls with his wife and 5-week-old son.

* Last and certainly not least, preparing two fully-staged productions and two staged readings as the new artistic director of the revived Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre.

"I've always wanted to have a reason to come back and be challenged professionally in my hometown," said Davis, a 2000 Post Falls High School graduate. "Well, this is my opportunity."

Davis spoke with The Press this week during a brief visit before returning to the Seattle area for his role in "Les Miserables" at the Village Theater in Issaquah, where he has spent the last three seasons as casting director.

A member of the Actors Equity Association, Davis has worked as a theater actor since 2004. He has one more commitment in Seattle, using his opera skills to portray The Italiano in 5th Avenue Theatre's production of "Room With a View" in April and May.

"My theater career in Seattle was great. It was a good place to live and make a living," he said. "A lot of theater actors from New York end up in Seattle."

As the Eastern Washington University graduate winds down his Seattle acting career, the demands of his new job in North Idaho are accelerating.

Davis said his job as artistic director includes hiring the cast, directors, designers and costume people for this summer's productions, "My Fair Lady" and "The Addams Family." He will direct My Fair Lady, and will be on hand for cast auditions in February.

While his goal is to have "90 percent" of his cast come from the Coeur d'Alene and Spokane region, Davis said his connections in Seattle and across the country could be tapped as he hires professional actors.

Other potential cast members include college students who aspire to be professional actors or older residents who may have been involved in community theater and aspire to a higher level of acting.

"It's a professional theater ... so we're looking for the type of person that wants to hold themself to that standard," Davis added.

A less concrete task is adjusting from an actor's mind-set to the thought process of a director.

"As an actor, it's your job to create a human being, to think 'What do I want' for your role," Davis said. "As a director, you have to think more globally ... how am I going to tell the story of this scene, of this show.

"My job is to always guide the audience to the story that's being told."

Another challenge for Davis - and everyone else involved with the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre - is moving beyond the off-stage drama of last year.

Citing a budget deficit driven by lackluster ticket sales, the 46-year-old, nonprofit professional performing arts organization was shut down in August by its board of directors. The board also severed ties with its two full-time employees, longtime artistic director Roger Welch and Michelle Mendez, the executive director.

Two months later, the board announced the 2014 season would be performed at the Kroc Center's 400-seat venue instead of North Idaho College's Schuler Performing Arts Center, which seats 1,100.

Laura Little, a former CST executive director, agreed to return to that role and she hired Davis as the organization's new artistic director.

"It's rare to find an artist that is as talented as Jadd but also has a head for the business end of producing live theater," Little said. "Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre is lucky to have him and our patrons will recognize the value he brings to the productions the moment the curtain opens this season."

Davis said while some reconciliation with the community is needed, his main job now is assembling a solid cast and providing quality entertainment for Coeur d'Alene-area residents and visitors this summer.

"My focus more than anything is to tell a story clearly. I'm not into over-the-top pyrotechnics ... if it serves the story, great, but My Fair Lady is all about the interaction of the actors," he said. "Both the plays and musical theater we do should transport the audience through clear and honest storytelling."

Davis is very familiar with the CST's role in the community and its high standard of quality, having worked with more than 30 productions as he grew up in North Idaho.

His parents, Val and Larry Davis, still live in Post Falls, and he is looking forward to moving back home with his wife, Kasey, and young son, Edwin, later this spring.

Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre has announced its 2014 schedule, with season tickets now on sale.

"My Fair Lady" will be performed July 10-27, and "The Addams Family" is Aug. 7-24. All performances will be at the Kroc Center in Coeur d'Alene.

Season tickets for the two musicals are $85 for adults, $75 for seniors (ages 65-plus) and military, and $50 for children ages 12 and younger.

For more information, call (208) 660-2958 or visit cdasummertheatre.com.