Canadian Association of Magicians
by Connie Boyd
Billy Kidd’s magical journey is truly her own. I love her spunk, her edgy personality, her quirky creativity and her honesty. She has an attitude, vision, style and skill-set that is unique and which she combines with professional talent that has strong origins in theatre.
Billy did not dream of being a magician as a child, instead she dreamt of being an actor. By age eighteen Billy’s experience, talent and potential were being recognized and she qualified for places in R.A.D.A in London, and in Canada at the National Theatre School and BFA at the University of Alberta. It was four months after graduating from theatre school that Billy’s artistic career made an unexpected, shocking U-turn.
Billy was in her mid-twenties when she saw her first magic show and encountered the skilled street magician, Nick Nickolas. She was fascinated by his ability to captivate, engage and entertain an audience and she particularly became enthralled with his cup and balls routine. While watching Nick’s street show performances something truly magical sparked inside Billy and an unforeseen passion for an artform she had only just discovered resulted.
It took great courage and strength to leave her first love and to embrace a new artform she was only just learning about, but that’s exactly what Billy did in 2008. She followed her instincts and attacked learning magic with a vigor and laser focus that bordered on fanatical. Magic was her life-line and she allowed nothing to distract from her desire to succeed.
Billy believes, “If you are truly in this for the right reason, if you are passionate about magic or whatever you do, nothing should stop you.”
At Nick’s suggestion she mentored with Gazzo in Florida jumping, full emersion, into the street show culture. Magic street performing offered many opportunities to practice new skills learned from books, video and colleagues and to develop and create new material. Billy literally “fast tracked” her magic training and skill base, accomplishing magic miracles in record time. Nick Nickolas states, “Billy is definitely one of the best out there today.”
She uses multiple skill sets to create magic that is witty and memorable. She loves proven magic classics such as cups and balls and card manipulation. She selects, develops and presents her magic with care, always including a fresh spin that results in magic that feels different, new and specific to herself.
She has dedicated hours of training and study to learn difficult card sleights. She credits the Royal Road to Card Magic, Card College and Expert at the Card table as the books that helped her hone her close-up skills.
Billy highly recommends Steve Valentine’s “Magic on the Go” series as an excellent source for magic and learning, it’s a method she uses often to research and develop herself.
Despite Billy’s attempts to separate her acting career and her magic career, it was those very skills that were the key and foundation to her rapid rise and first major magic career break in 2009.
Billy successfully auditioned and secured a national televised advert campaign for the O2 Load and Go Card, in the UK. She admits, her awareness of the camera and performing magic for a television medium was invaluable. Her experience at casting auditions allowed her to be more familiar with the casting process than most magicians would be.
The success of the O2 Load and Go Card campaign launched Billy’s magic career.
In 2012 - 2013 she was cast on the Discovery Channel’s Breaking Magic – the Magic of Science program which had a viewing of over 100 million people worldwide.
She was so successful competing in “Wizard Wars” on the Syfy channel in the US in 2014 – 2015 that she was cast as a full time Wizard in Season Two.
Billy Kidd is one of the most highly sought-after magicians. Her magic fits her like a custom glove, most in part due to the fact that she is very aware of who she is, what she wants and what vision and direction works and stimulates her most. In short, she is true to herself.
Now, with over twelve years of magic experience, Billy can look back on her career path change, which seemed dramatic and shocking at the time, and see clearly that magic has provided her with more opportunities than if she had remained in the acting world.
It’s November and Billy’s back in Canada filming “Next Stage” a new show about Vaudeville & Variety Acts. We predict more television credits post-pandemic for Billy, she has not allowed circumstances to stifle her creativity and drive, to dream of and create magic that is truly Billy-esque!
Billy Kidd Website: https://www.billykiddshow.com
Billy Kidd Instagram: @billykiddshow
Billy Kidd FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/billykiddshow
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