Vern Adix papers, 1900-1983

La Vern Adix was born 3 May 1912, in Boone, Iowa. Adix's career in theater began at the University of Iowa and the University of Minnesota, where he was involved with the set design and technical work for several plays while he progressed toward his bachelor of art and master of art degrees respectively. In 1943, he came to the University of Utah as a teaching assistant and technical director for the theater department. His affiliation with the university was interrupted briefly while he spent the summers of 1945 and 1946 working at the Cain Park Theatre in Cleveland, and the summers of 1951 and 1954 at the Banff School of Fine Arts in Canada. Adix became a professor at the University of Utah in 1964 and taught various classes in theatre. In addition to designing technical sets for the productions at Kingsbury Hall and Pioneer Memorial Theatre, Adix spent a great deal of time working with the community. From 1951 to 1965 he worked on various projects ranging from LDS Church dance festivals to productions of "Brigadoon" in unique perfromances that took place in Rice Stadium. From 1966 to 1982, Adix supervised the Afternoon Players, a touring company that specialized in children's theatre. Adix's contributions to children's theatre also include twenty-one plays he adapted and approximately fifty productions he directed for young audiences. In 1983, Adix retired from the university and was named professor emeritus. He died in 1996.