William Adkins, (died March 28, 1982) was a Canadian noted for his 50 plus years service to amateur theatre.

Early life

Adkins was born in

Winslow, Buckinghamshire Winslow is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish designated as a town council in the north of the Unitary Authority of Buckinghamshire, England. It has a population of just over 4,400. It is located approximately south-eas ...

, circa 1889. He left England for Canada circa 1911, farming near

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

and working for the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

. During World War I, he served with the

Canadian Field Artillery , colors = The guns of the RCA themselves , colors_label = Colours , march = * Slow march: "Royal Artillery Slow March" * Quick march (dismounted parades): "British Grenadiers/ The ...

in Europe. After the war, he returned to Canada, settled in Ottawa, and married Gertrude Helen Green, with whom he had two children. He joined the

Department of Indian Affairs Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

, where he met

Duncan Campbell Scott Duncan Campbell Scott (August 2, 1862 – December 19, 1947) was a Canadian civil servant and poet and prose writer. With Charles G.D. Roberts, Bliss Carman, and Archibald Lampman, he is classed as one of Canada's Confederation Poets. A care ...

through whom he became involved in the theatre.

Theatre work

Adkins worked backstage on every production of the Ottawa Drama League (later the

Ottawa Little Theatre The Ottawa Little Theatre, originally called the Ottawa Drama League at its inception in 1913, is the longest continuously running community theatre in Canada, and one of the oldest in North America. Based in Canada's capital city, it owns its ow ...

) after 1920. Over many years, he worked as electrician, carpenter, scene shifter, scene painter, lighting operator, set designer, set builder, and, from 1927, stage manager. During World War II, Adkins arranged and stage managed shows for troops. Adkins continued as stage manager of the Ottawa Little Theatre after the war, travelling with it to the

Dominion Drama Festival The Dominion Drama Festival was an organisation in Canada that sought to promote amateur theatre across the country. It lasted, in one form or another, from 1932 until 1978. Founding The Dominion Drama Festival (DDF) was devised in 1932 as a wa ...

and other regional performances. He also supervised visiting stage managers when Ottawa hosted drama festivals, and managed the stage and lighting for the outdoor theatre at a summer drama school for children. Adkins was still stage manager at the time that the Ottawa Little Theatre burnt down in 1970, and when it reopened after rebuilding in 1972, with improved stage facilities. He retired from the theatre in 1979, and died in Ottawa on 28 March 1982.

Awards

Adkins received a 1960 Canadian Drama Award, in recognition of outstanding contributions to Canadian theatre. In 1973, the first year it was awarded, he was invested with the

Member of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with ...

, "for his 50 years' service to the amateur theatre movement in Ottawa and to the Dominion Drama Festival". In 2013, during their 100th season celebrations, the Ottawa Little Theatre named him as a Cornerstone Inductee, an honor instituted for volunteers who made an extraordinary contribution to the development of the theatre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adkins, William Members of the Order of Canada Stage managers Canadian scenic designers Politicians from Ottawa 1982 deaths People from Winslow, Buckinghamshire Canadian military personnel of World War I Canadian theatre designers Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery personnel Military personnel from Buckinghamshire Hudson's Bay Company people