The Magic Castle Junior Society - An Indepth Look

The Magic Castle is considered a centre for magical arts, a private clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts in Los Angeles, California. The Castle is an exclusive nightclub for invited guests only (or if you know a member) and has strict rules on dress code, appearance and performance. A key part of the Academy is the Junior Society, a smaller sector of the club for younger members. The Junior society holds monthly events, where famous names in the magic world lecture to the young magicians.

Unlike similar magic clubs, in order to be accepted into the program, there are a certain amount of criteria that one must fit - the first being age. The Society only allows young magicians aged 13-20 - a stark difference from other junior clubs, such as the Young Magicians Club at the Magic Circle, where the age restrictions are 10 until 18. Perhaps this is due to the legal drinking age in America being higher than other countries, but the lower boundary being considerably higher connotes two fold. First, as the Magic Castle is strictly a nightclub for those aged 21 and above, this rule might indicate the maturity needed to join the society, but the other point is more interesting. The real difference is the live audition.

This allows the junior members to practise routines in all sort of environments - in one of three close up spaces, housing 25-30 people each, or in the 'Palace of Mystery', a mini theatre within the castle, holding up to 130 people. The club give young magicians access to a professional performance venue, and exposure to the resources that will assist them in growing to become a better magician. While the society can (and has) push young magicians into international stardom, the club is very aware that not evert member will grow up to become a professional magician. Phil states: 'Being able to make personal connections with their audience, work creatively on their art, develop public speaking skills and improve their self-confidence is something that all junior graduates will take into their adult lives, no matter what fields they get into. As a society, we're striving to improve juniors' lives.' The club has been improving the lives of junior members since 1975, when magician and member Diana Zimmerman founded the club as an additional sector to the full Academy of Magical Arts and has received immense success. 

However, the club hasn't been without it's challenges. The Covid-19 pandemic forced the society's headquarters to close it's doors from the end of 2019 until 2021, impacting large financial struggles for the Magic Castle overall. Another challenge that the club has faced is the downsides of magic's global resurgence. Scott Tokar (a former achiever of the Junior Lifetime Achievement Award and additional mentor at the club) said that 'There are now more magic night clubs, TV shows, internet and social media magicians than any time in history. It is easy to gain an audience via social media today, the proliferation of YouTube explainer videos has made the secrets of magic obtainable. ' While this can be seen as a positive gain for the magic industry, Phill is quick to point out that 'Being inspired by TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, many young magicians may rely only on and limit themselves to videos they see online for instruction and to learn about specific tricks. Many of these tricks become popular in waves over the course of a year or two and many young magicians just copy what they see online without realising they can create variations on these tricks'. A unique perk that the both the Magic Castle and the Magic Circle have is the extensive library that is only accessible to members. While the opportunity to view those books is there, many young magicians don't, and miss out on the 'almost endless amount of inspiration' that they provide. As Phill puts it: 'There's so much available in books!!'

An act of up to five minutes must be performed in front of a variety of judges, where they are judged on their 'dedication to the art of magic' and in their performance proficiency. As Phill Goodman (a mentor of the junior society) puts it, "the live audition gives the Junior committee an opportunity to evaluate the potential of the applicant's showmanship skills". 

I recall my own audition, a nerve-wracking 5 minutes that really made me realise how much magic meant to me. As I was applying to be an International member, I performed my act on Zoom. After being given advice from other members, I performed my act for 4 minutes and 59 seconds - one second off my disqualification. Many wannabe members audition multiple times to finally be accepted in the club, which is reasonable given the experiences given and the alumni who have passed through the club.

Notable magic names such as Neil Patrick Harris, Michael Weber and Kevin James were all once members of the society. Many more have also reached high levels and earned high accolades in the magic industry, most recently Zac Swann, who received the Magic Castle 'Junior Lifetime Achievement Award' at the most recent AMA Magic Castle Awards Ceremony. Perhaps one of the reasons why the club has helped to kickstart many performer's careers are the various perks that are exclusive to the society, setting it apart from other junior programs around the world. One of these perks is the opportunity for the juniors to perform their routines live in front of paying guests during the Saturday and Sunday brunches. This allows the juniors to repeat their shows multiple times in front of guests, improving their technique, their methods and their overall performance. And that's another thing, the Magic Castle offers a completely unique experience in itself - the club's location. The castle is full of hidden rooms, mysterious objects and it's fascinating history. The only way to enter the Castle is through a bookcase and by stating the words: Open Sesame!