Whit Haydn

Whit Haydn was born in Clarkesville, Tennessee. He grew up in Tennessee and North Carolina where he graduated from Rose High School in Greenville, and attended East Carolina University. His mother's family is from Virginia, where Haydn graduated from Lynchburg College with a degree in Philosophy and attended Virginia Theological Seminary while studying for the Episcopal ministry. When only eight, an eighty year old man living next door taught Whit the basics of how to manipulate the shell game and how to cheat at cards. This activity was discovered and strongly discouraged. A life-long passion for the art of magic began at the age of ten. Whit was lucky enough to be tutored by two fine professional magicians in North Carolina - Bill Tadlock and Dick Snavely. Wallace Lee of Durham was also an important teacher. Haydn dropped out of college at East Carolina University, and began performing on the streets of New York City, and later Washington, DC, and Europe. He returned to college at Lynchburg College, Virginia, where he received his B. A. in Philosophy in 1972. He dropped out of seminary at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria in 1974 to join a populist political theater called the American Revolutionary Road Co. (later The Road Co.) directed by Robert Leonard. The improv company began in Washington, DC, and soon moved to Johnson City, Tenn. Juggling, unicycle and magic skills were enhanced with acting and performance training from Leonard, who used both Viola Spolin and Grotowski exercises in his training. In 1976, Whit began performing magic at Tombstone Junction - a western-themed amusement park in Cumberland Falls, Kentucky. There he worked opening the shows for Grand Ole Opry stars such as Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Bill Anderson, Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. Haydn moved to California in 1977, where he married Debra Coldiron. He began performing at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, and in 1979 won the award for "Stage Magician of the Year." His daughter Jessamine was born in November of that same year. Allan Rich taught Whit acting during this period, both in private lessons and in his class "If It Ain't on the Page." Whit continued performing magic for cruise ships and nightclubs as well as corporate events, works as a magic consultant for film and television, and continued to win five more "magician of the year" awards from the Magic Castle. He currently lives in Glassell Park, California with his wife, Nancy.