The Magic Circle (organisation)

From Vero - Wikipedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:More citations needed Template:Infobox organization The Magic Circle is a British organisation dedicated to promoting and advancing the art of magic.

Applicants must qualify for membership, either through a performance exam or by a written thesis on a branch of magic, after which they are designated Members of The Magic Circle (M.M.C.). Further distinctions may earn them the titles Associate of the Inner Magic Circle (A.I.M.C.); and Member of The Inner Magic Circle (M.I.M.C), a select group limited to 300 members. The Circle was founded in 1905, and was male-only until 1991. There is a junior branch, the Young Magicians Club.

History

File:Magic Circle Blue Plaque 2017.jpg
Blue plaque commemorating the founding of The Magic Circle on the former Pinoli's Restaurant in Wardour Street
File:Magic Circle staircase.jpg
A staircase at The Magic Circle building

The Magic Circle was founded in 1905 after a meeting of 23 amateur and professional magicians at London's Pinoli's Restaurant. At this founders meeting, chaired by Servais Le Roy, those present decided upon the name of the Society: it was initially felt that the name of the Society should be the Martin Chapender Club, in memory of the performer and founding member who had recently died at the age of 25. However, it was finally agreed that the name "Magic Circle", which shares the same initials as those of Martin Chapender, would be more appropriate.<ref name="londonist"/>

The first official meeting was at the Green Man public house in Soho, but meetings were later in a room at St George's Hall in Langham Place, where David Devant and John Nevil Maskelyne were regularly seen performing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Devant became the first president of The Magic Circle, and in 1906, Maskelyne edited the first issue of The Magic Circular magazine, a regular feature for members ever since. The Magic Circular claims to be the longest-running regular magic magazine in conjuring history.

The club admitted only men until 1991, when more than 75% of members voted to admit women. But the club's first woman member, Sophie Lloyd, had already joined surreptitiously 18 months earlier, disguising herself as a man with the help of fellow magician Jenny Winstanley, and using the name Raymond Lloyd. When she revealed her gender after women were officially allowed to join, the Magic Circle's members voted to expel her for "deliberate deception". In 2024, the club's first female chair, Laura London, said that she was trying to track down Lloyd in order to apologise and to readmit her, but that Lloyd seemed to have disappeared some time after 1997.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2025, Lloyd was alerted to the search for her by her sister and admitted to the Magic Circle under her own name.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

As of 2024, 5% of the 1,700 members are women.<ref name=":0" /> In 2014, Megan Knowles-Bacon became the first female officer in the Magic Circle, as well as the youngest person to be elected as an officer; she was elected as secretary.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2021 she was elected as the Magic Circle's first female, and youngest ever, president, using her working name Megan Swann.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Motto

The motto of the society is the Latin indocilis privata loqui,<ref>https://christopherhowell.net/blog/magic-circle-secrets christopherhowell.net</ref> which roughly translated means "not apt to disclose secrets". Members give their word not to wilfully disclose magic secrets other than to bona fide students of magic. Anyone breaking this or any other rule may be expelled.

Headquarters

File:Houdini's cabinet.jpg
'Houdini's Cabinet' at The Magic Circle Museum, London

Since 1998, The Magic Circle building<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in central London near Euston Station in Camden has been available for meetings and corporate entertainment. It was voted the UK's Number One Venue in the hospitality industry's Top 20 UK Venues poll 2008.

The Magic Circle's headquarters houses a theatre, library, museum, dining room, clubroom and bars. The museum features magic tricks, props, posters, programmes, toys, photographs and artefacts related to conjuring history. Items of interest include, Robert Harbin's original Zig Zag illusion, Chung Ling Soo's robes, an original Sooty with associated Harry Corbett apparatus, sets of props used by television magicians David Nixon and Tommy Cooper, a sound recording of Harry Houdini taken from an Edison cylinder, and a set of cups and balls used by Charles, the then Prince of Wales when he took his Magic Circle exam in 1975.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Visits are by arranged tour.<ref name="londonist">Template:Cite web </ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Membership

Magicians who wish to join may spend up to one year as an apprentice before applying for full membership. They need to have known two current members for at least one year and must be at least 18 years old. These two members are then asked to act as proposer and seconder on the candidate's application form and propose them as a suitable candidate for membership. Following the receipt and processing of the application, the candidate is invited to an interview with the examinations secretary, usually at the London headquarters. If the candidate proves suitable and sufficiently knowledgeable a performance exam is scheduled or a thesis may be written. The exam takes place in front of a panel of judges, and candidates must demonstrate their skills to members in a rehearsed act.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

If a thesis is chosen, it is read by two examiners and a copy is made available in The Magic Circle library. The final stage is by vote by members of the Council, who will approve the candidate as a member. Once the applicant is successful, they are free to call themselves "Members of the Society" and use the letters M.M.C. after their name.

Members of The Magic Circle include: King Charles III, Jay & Joss,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Luis de Matos,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Michael Vincent,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Dynamo,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Stephen Fry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Penn & Teller, however, had been refused membership due to their tradition of revealing the secrets to magic tricks during their performances.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They were eventually granted membership in 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Members must undertake not to reveal magic secrets to anyone except bona fide magicians; anyone breaking this rule may be expelled.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> An example of this was when the former Young Magician of the Year Dominic Wood was expelled for publishing magic books containing secrets behind tricks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Associate of the Inner Magic Circle

Members may take a further examination to achieve the degree of Associate of the Inner Magic Circle. The designation A.I.M.C. shows this higher membership. The A.I.M.C. degree can also be attained through thesis, and in rare cases – that is when a candidate gains 18 or higher out of a possible 20 marks in the written exam – examinees taking the M.M.C. exam are awarded the A.I.M.C. degree. Those who attain an A.I.M.C. degree as a result of a performance examination are awarded the A.I.M.C. with silver star.

Inner Magic Circle

Within the society, there are a number of members never exceeding 300 known as the Inner Magic Circle. Full membership of the Inner Magic Circle is denoted by the letters M.I.M.C. after the member's name. Membership of the Inner Magic Circle is by call of The Society's President. The M.I.M.C. degree may be awarded with a gold star, to signify that the recipient is a performer of magic (as opposed to e.g. an inventor, historian or noteworthy volunteer for the Society).

The Young Magicians Club

The Young Magicians Club<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is part of the Youth Initiative of The Magic Circle (the other major part being the prestigious Young Magician of the Year Competition) and is a club for magicians between the inclusive ages of 10 and 18 which was founded in 1996. Sponsored by The Magic Circle, members of the Young Magicians Club meet for monthly workshops at The Magic Circle Headquarters, the 'Centre for the Magic Arts' in London.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Young Magicians Club has a current membership of around 200 members.<ref name="potter">Template:Cite news</ref>

The Young Magicians Club's principal means of communication among its members is its bi-monthly magazine Secrets. The worldwide membership also communicates through a members-only on-line forum on the Young Magicians Club website.

Membership in The Young Magicians Club requires no interview or exam and is open to all young people interested in magic. There are monthly all-day workshops for members who come from all over the country to take part. Adult members of The Magic Circle take on the responsibility of instructing the members of the Young Magicians Club. Local adult magic clubs will often have a junior magicians club attached to them but The Young Magicians Club is the only such club associated with The Magic Circle. Members of the Young Magicians Club are eligible to join The Magic Circle at a reduced rate when they reach 18, but then they must complete the examination procedure for full membership.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Young Magicians Club holds their annual one-day convention every October called 'J-Day'. The convention includes lectures and the finals of two competitions with awards, which include the Home Counties Trophy for stage magic, The Mark Leveridge Cup for close-up magic, Kaymar Komedy Cup and the Peter McCahon Award for Originality. In recent years, the celebrity guest lectures have been presented by Derren Brown in 2010, Dynamo in 2011, John Archer in 2012, Marvin Berglas in 2013, Luis De Matos in 2014 and Dave Loosley and Andi Gladwin in 2015.

The popularity of the Harry Potter franchise was one of the key reasons for the organisation's growth this century with membership doubling after the announcement of the first film in 2001.<ref name="potter"/>

List of presidents

Years President
1905 – 1906 David Devant
1906 – 1924 Nevil Maskelyne
1924 – 1928 Clive Maskelyne
1928 – 1931 Herbert J. Collings
1931 – 1935 Oliver Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill
1935 – 1954 Evelyn Seymour, 17th Duke of Somerset
1954 – 1958 Herbert J. Collings
1958 – 1989 Francis White
1989 – 1998 David Berglas
1998 – 2003 Michael Bailey
2003 – 2008 Alan Shaxon
2008 – 2009 Ali Bongo
2009 – 2014 Jack Delvin
2014 – 2019 Scott Penrose
2019 – 2021 Noel Britten
2021 – 2023 Megan Swann
2023 – present Marvin Berglas

Timeline

<timeline> DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy ImageSize = width:600 height:600 Period = from:01/01/1860 till:{{#time: d/m/Y }} TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal AlignBars = justify PlotArea = width:90% height:90% left:0 bottom:60 Legend = columns:4 left:10 top:35 columnwidth:160

Colors = 

    id:PRES          value:darkblue         legend: President
    id:NOT           value:gray(0.85)       legend: not_President
    id:liteline       value:gray(0.8)
    id:line           value:rgb(0.3,0.3,0.3)
    id:bg             value:white

BarData = 

 bar:Devant
 bar:NMaskelyne
 bar:CMaskelyne
 bar:Collings
 bar:Ampthill
 bar:Somerset
 bar:White
 bar:DBerglas
 bar:Bailey
 bar:Shaxon
 bar:Bongo
 bar:Delvin
 bar:Penrose
 bar:Britten
 bar:Swann
 bar:MBerglas

PlotData= 

    width:14 textcolor:black align:center
 bar:Devant
  from:22/02/1868 till:01/07/1905 color:NOT text:"David Devant" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:01/07/1905 till:01/07/1906 color:PRES
  from:01/07/1906 till:13/10/1941 color:NOT
 bar:NMaskelyne
  from:01/07/1863 till:01/07/1906 color:NOT text:"Nevil Maskelyne" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:01/07/1906 till:22/07/1924 color:PRES
 bar:CMaskelyne
  from:01/07/1895 till:22/07/1924 color:NOT text:"Clive Maskelyne" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:22/07/1924 till:01/07/1928 color:PRES
 bar:Collings
  from:01/07/1883 till:01/07/1928 color:NOT text:"Herbert J. Collings" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:01/07/1928 till:01/07/1931 color:PRES
  from:01/07/1931 till:26/04/1954 color:NOT
  from:26/04/1954 till:30/03/1958 color:PRES
 bar:Ampthill
  from:19/02/1869 till:01/07/1931 color:NOT text:"Oliver Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:01/07/1931 till:07/07/1935 color:PRES
 bar:Somerset
  from:01/05/1882 till:07/07/1935 color:NOT text:"Evelyn Seymour, 17th Duke of Somerset" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:07/07/1935 till:26/04/1954 color:PRES
 bar:White
  from:01/07/1906 till:01/07/1958 color:NOT text:"Francis White" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:01/07/1958 till:07/05/1989 color:PRES
 bar:DBerglas
  from:30/07/1926 till:07/05/1989 color:NOT text:"David Berglas" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:07/05/1989 till:01/07/1998 color:PRES
  from:01/07/1998 till:03/11/2023 color:NOT
 bar:Bailey
  from:01/12/1930 till:01/07/1998 color:NOT text:"Michael Bailey" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:01/07/1998 till:01/07/2003 color:PRES
  from:01/07/2003 till:06/11/2017 color:NOT
 bar:Shaxon
  from:28/12/1933 till:01/07/2003 color:NOT text:"Alan Shaxon" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:01/07/2003 till:01/07/2008 color:PRES
  from:01/07/2008 till:27/10/2012 color:NOT
 bar:Bongo
  from:08/12/1929 till:01/07/2008 color:NOT text:"Ali Bongo" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:01/07/2008 till:08/03/2009 color:PRES
 bar:Delvin
  from:01/07/1931 till:01/07/2009 color:NOT text:"Jack Delvin" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:01/07/2009 till:01/07/2014 color:PRES
  from:01/07/2014 till:20/11/2023 color:NOT
 bar:Penrose
  from:01/05/1969 till:01/07/2014 color:NOT text:"Scott Penrose" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:01/07/2014 till:01/07/2019 color:PRES
  from:01/07/2019 till:end color:NOT
 bar:Britten
  from:01/12/1963 till:16/07/2019 color:NOT text:"Noel Britten" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:01/07/2019 till:01/07/2021 color:PRES
  from:01/07/2021 till:end color:NOT
 bar:Swann
  from:01/10/1992 till:01/07/2021 color:NOT text:"Megan Swann" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:01/07/2021 till:01/07/2023 color:PRES
  from:01/07/2023 till:end color:NOT
 bar:MBerglas
  from:03/01/1959 till:01/07/2023 color:NOT text:"Marvin Berglas" shift: (3,-4) fontsize:10
  from:01/07/2023 till:end color:PRES

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:10 start:01/01/1860 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:liteline unit:year increment:5 start:01/01/1865 </timeline>

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

Template:Commons category-inline

Template:Magic organizations Template:Magic and Illusion

Retrieved from "https://wiki.sarg.dev/index.php?title=The_Magic_Circle_(organisation)&oldid=393332"