That October, nine women were admitted as members to the Circle, including Debbie McGee, Daniels' wife and assistant turned magician in her own right, and Fay Presto. The Magic CircleĪs times changed in the 1990s, more than 75 percent of the society voted to include female members in 1991. 'So it's understandable why it would lag behind the rest of society pushing forward.'įay Presto was one of the first women to gain membership into the Magic Circle. There's an expression in magic: 'The door of magic isn't locked but it is closed.' I think with that nature, you isolate yourself a bit,' Mills explains. I'd imagine it was something to do with the nature of the club itself-it is a secret society.

'Most definitely, there was that mentality to the club. Mills believes there was something of a 'boys' club mentality' within the magic world. However, until recently, the opportunity to become a Magic Circle member wouldn't have been open to Mills or any of the sixty-odd female magicians that make up the Circle's estimated 1,500-plus ranks. I wanted to be part of the Magic Circle so much.' It was terrifying, I don't think I've ever practised so much for anything in my life,' the British mentalist Katherine Mills tells Newsweek. Gaining membership is the ultimate approval of a magician's showmanship before joining, he or she must complete a rigorous process that includes being recommended by two current members, complete an interview with the Magic Circle's council and, finally, perform a show in front of a panel of judges and members. Its most famous member isn't a trickster by trade-but royalty Prince Charles gained entry in 1975 by performing a cups-and-balls trick. Its current members include David Copperfield, arguably the most famous magician alive, and British magician Dynamo. In a year that Britain appointed only its second female Prime Minister in Theresa May and Hillary Clinton is on the cusp of her own historic presidential race in the United States, female magicians across the world are also celebrating a milestone: 2016 marks 25 years since the elusive and prestigious Magic Circle allowed entry to its first female members.įounded in 1905, The Magic Circle is the secretive society that illusionists across the world want to join.

Joining the magic circle