The Magic Circle

What Is the Magic Circle?

The magic circle is the oldest, largest and most prestigious magic club in the world.  It was established in 1905 as ‘The London Magic Circle’ by 23 magicians who wished to share ideas and develop their magical talents.  The format was so successful that other magic clubs like; The Liverpool Magic circle, The Newcastle magic circle etc were formed.  Most members would be a member of a local magic club and also be a member of the London Magic Circle.  When several magic circles opened in England, the London Magic Circle was simply known as The Magic Circle.  The idea of magic circles/clubs has been so successful that there is a magic circle in many different countries in the world, including several magic clubs in Scotland.     

How do you join The Magic Circle?

To join the magic circle the magician must first have two members of the magic circle to nominate them for the entrance exam.  The candidate has two choices of test, either theory or practical. Firstly an interview must take place to make sure the candidate is joining for the correct reasons and is of an acceptable standard to take the test.

To obtain an MMC (Member of the Magic Circle) the candidate must score above 60% in the entrance exam.  In rare occasions (approx 1 per year) where the candidate scores more than 90% they are awarded the title of Associate of The Inner Magic Circle.  MMC may audition again to try to upgrade their membership to AIMC. 

How did Woody join the magic circle?

Woody performed two 10 minute close-up magic acts and a 10 minute stand-up magic act.

Close-up magic acts consisted of; coins, poker chips, cards, ropes and the cup and ball. 

The Stand-up act consisted of a growing head illusion, several vanishes of a large ball, a borrowed 10p melted into a sealed coke can, a bottle of wine was produces from an empty envelope and there was a comedy ending with Woody’s special photograph trick.

Woody received marks of over 90% and was awarded direct entry into the Inner Magic Circle with Silver Star (for performers only)

Why should you hire a member of the magic circle?

It is not imperative that you hire a magician that is a member of the magic circle and there are plenty of good magicians who chose to not be member of any magic clubs.  However, just as when hiring a plumber, you would like them to be corgi registered to ensure he could complete his job to a high standard, there isn’t really a way of checking if your magician is of a high standard.  There are many professional / semi professional magicians who have been working as a magician for 20 years that apply for the magic circle.  When they find out they still have to sit the test they decide not to join out of fear of failure.  If they fail the MMC audition, they can’t be that good.

The reason Woody decided to join The Magic Circle was because his audience kept asking if he was in The Magic Circle.  He had assured them he could pass the test if he sat it (which he did with marks over (90%) but he realised it meant something to his audience to say, “we saw this magician who was in The Magic Circle”  and when Woody realised it meant more to his audience, he filled in the application form.