The Magic Circle is a British organisation dedicated to magic. Its headquarters are in London, and professional magicians who want to join need to first demonstrate their skills to existing
members. There are currently approximately 1500 members (including Charles, Prince of Wales) in 41 countries. Members must be over 18 years of age.
The Magic Circle was founded in 1905 after a meeting of 23 amateur and professional magicians at London's
Pinoli's Restaurant. The first official meeting was held at The Green Man public house in Soho, but meetings were later held in a room at St. George's Hall in Langham Place, where David Devant and John Nevil Maskelyne were regularly seen. Devant became the first President of The
Magic Circle, and in 1906, Maskelyne edited the first issue of The Magic Circular,
a publication that has been a regular feature for Magic Circle members ever since.
The club was a men-only organisation until 1991, when a large
majority of members voted to admit women.
The current president (2007) is Alan Shaxon whose term of office will end in September 2008.
The motto of the society is the Latin indocilis privata loqui,
which may be roughly translated as "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 subject to expulsion from the society.
Since 1998, The Magic Circle Headquarters building in central
London has also been available for use as a venue for meetings and corporate entertainment. It has been voted best unusual
venue by the hospitality industry. The Magic Circle Headquarters
houses a theatre, museums, libraries, a dining room, a clubroom and bars.
One of the society's youth initiatives is The Young Magicians
Club, which is open to magicians between the ages of 10 and 18. The Young Magicians Club has its own magazine called Secrets.
Membership of The Young Magicians Club currently requires no
interview or exam so that young magicians at all levels of ability can join. New members are often almost total beginners;
having to pass an examination to gain membership would therefore detract from the aim of the YMC, which is to learn and have
fun no matter how much of a newcomer one is to magic.
Membership of The Magic Circle requires the applicant to undergo
an interview and to pass a performance exam to show proficiency and skill. The alternative to the (more usual) performance
exam is a thorough written thesis relating to magic. Members of the Society may use the letters M.M.C. after their name to
denote their membership.
Members of the Society may take a further examination to achieve
the degree of Associate of the Inner Magic Circle. The designation A.I.M.C. may be used to show this higher membership degree.
Within the Society, there is a smaller select 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 members name. Membership of The Inner Magic Circle is by call of the Society's President.
Their main website can be found at www.themagiccircle.co.uk
