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The Magic Circle:
A
London magician's journey in...
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The mission statement of The Magic Circle is
laid out… "To
be acknowledged as the premier magical society in the world by
magicians and the public alike through the pursuit of the highest
standards and the promotion of the art of magic and the appreciation of
its heritage." The club was formed in 1905 and
in 1998 it upgraded to its new purpose-built headquarters in Euston,
London boasting an extensive library, museum, clubrooms and intimate
theatre for magicians from around the world to gather in, network and
develop their art. The
Magic Circle is also called The Centre for the Magical Arts.
 Wanting to be a Magic Circle Magician
in the UK, several years before becoming a member, I went along on a
meeting night to the headquarters, nestled away in a dark alley behind
Euston Square, to try and see what it was all about. To my
surprise, the suspicious doorman wouldn’t let me through the
entrance; even with my smile and having produced my magician calling
card magically to prove I wasn’t a mere prowler in search of
magicians’ secrets, he was nonplussed. The man at
the door informed me I had to either be invited or come as a member and
he turned me away.
It wasn’t until several years later that it was the other way
around. This time, a group of magicians from The Magic Circle
found me instead. In this case, I was performing in a
residency as a table magician at a restaurant behind the Royal Festival
Hall. The waitress said the guests at one of her tables had
asked to have a show by the magician and so I went over to perform for
the three gentlemen who were awaiting their entertainment.
After the fact, one of the younger ones thanked me and indicated to the
older one, saying I
should probably know I had just performed for the examinations
secretary of The Magic Circle. They then invited me as a
guest to the Headquarters and I went through my interview and
subsequent examination before being awarded membership.
For more information on Christopher Howell's work as a Magic Circle
Magician, please visit any of the below links according to subject
title:
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