A close-up magician - and in particular a close-up magician in London - gets asked several questions. Two of the most frequently asked questions Chris McGeever receives are (i) Are you a Member of The Magic Circle? and (ii) How do you join The Magic Circle?

Logo of The Magic Circle

Logo of The Magic Circle

The motto, 'indocilis privata loqui', translates roughly as 'not apt to disclose secrets.'

The answer to (i) is 'Yes'. Chris McGeever joined The Magic Circle at the youngest-possible age of 18. At the time, he was the society's youngest Member; today, he still remains amongst their younger cohort. The Magic Circle has its Headquarters in London, which is why a London close-up magician, especially, is often posed these 2 questions.

The answer to (ii) - i.e. How do you become a Member of The Magic Circle? - is essentially a 5-stage process:

  1. Get to know at least 2 existing Members of The Magic Circle, for a minimum of one year
  2. Be proposed and seconded for Membership by these 2 Members of The Magic Circle
  3. Have an interview with a senior Member of The Magic Circle, who will ascertain whether or not you have sufficient knowledge, experience and skills to become a Member yourself
  4. Audition by way of a performance examination - usually in front of current Members of The Magic Circle at the HQ in London. This can either be as a close-up magician or as a stage magician. Mostly the auditions are live, though sometimes magicians who are children's party specialists submit DVD footage of them performing at a children's party, in front of a more age-appropriate audience.
  5. Assuming your close-up magician (or stage magician) audition is well-received, there is a vote of the Council of The Magic Circle as to whether you may join or not. This is invariably a 'rubber-stamping' exercise for Council to simply approve the new Members.

Chris McGeever is one of only a handful of Members of The Magic Circle who never had to officially audition to join the society. Though a date had been set for him to audition (as a close-up magician), the society subsequently waived this requirement for Chris, having previously seen him perform close-up magic at events in front of The Magic Circle's Members, including their Showcase of young talent - then known as 'Young Magicians Club Entertains The Magic Circle'.

The vast majority of current auditionees are close-up magicians, and most exams take place in London. By extension, most of the newer Members are London close-up magicians - some as hobbyists, many professional magicians, and some semi-professionals. Members who are close-up magicians (either exclusively, or predominantly) have outnumbered stage magicians for many decades. Historically, Members were nearly all London-based, though over time, as London has become easier to reach, many more people from beyond the capital - and even from outside the UK - have joined the society.

Therefore, though London-based, and with many Members from London and the rest of UK, The Magic Circle is now truly an international organisation.