With the kind authorization of Sophie LloydA magician who has made his way in the magic circle is finally granted to membership – 34 years after his expulsion.
Sophie Lloyd says that she disguised herself as a man to deceive the examiners to let her join the Society elite in 1991, at one time, the female magicians were not allowed to be members.
When the circle announced that it allowed women to join later that year, Ms. Lloyd revealed her deception, which prompted the company to expel it during the same meeting, it admitted its first magician women.
After a public research to find it, the circle has now apologized to Ms. Lloyd and presents a membership certificate on Thursday evening.
With the kind authorization of Sophie Lloyd“I’m more delighted,” said Ms. Lloyd Radio 4 program 4 THURSDAY.
In the late 1980s, Ms. Lloyd studied in a mime school in London where she became friends with the magician Jenny Winstanley.
“Jenny was increasingly frustrated that women, of which herself, could not join the magic circle,” said Ms. Lloyd. “So she had an idea of infiltrating society by making me dress as a man. She could not do it herself because she was too recognizable.”
It was a colossal company. Ms. Lloyd had worked as assistant to Miss Winstanley during concerts but had not made magic by herself, so he had to learn.
She invented a new identity – Raymond Lloyd – and spent about two years studying the character. She disguised herself with a wig, a body suit and a “Croaky” voice. She wore gloves to hide her female hands.
There was nothing that she could not do about her size – 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m) – So instead, she called Raymond as an “18 -year -old young person”, with a “plush”, she told Canadian broadcaster CBC in 1991.
Ms. Lloyd told the TODAY program that her character was “totally raw”. She had no problem carrying the combination of the body, but the gloves made “very difficult” to do handthe, she said.
In March 1991, Ms. Lloyd was ready to pass her skills to the test. Rather than being examined at the headquarters of the Magic Circle – that Ms. Lloyd and Miss Winstanley have deemed too risky – Ms. Lloyd chose to invite the company’s examiners to a 20 -minute performance in a male club that works in front of 200 spectators. To cover her voice, Ms. Lloyd said Raymond had a laryngitis.
Ms. Lloyd even stayed to have a drink with one of the examiners after the show.
A week later, Ms. Lloyd was informed that she had been adhered to the circle.
For months, Raymond Lloyd played magic and even socialized with other members of the Circle Magic.
When Ms. Lloyd and Miss Winstanley later heard that the company was going to start accepting magicians as members, they decided to clean up their deception and Miss Winstanley spoke to the company by phone.
But the magic circle did not take the news. The duo received a letter saying that Raymond had been expelled and, in October 1991, during the first meeting by accepting women in the company, Ms. Lloyd was expelled.
“We couldn’t understand the head,” said Ms. Lloyd.
Ms. Lloyd spent about 10 years occurring across the country as a magician, in particular by producing anti-intimidation shows, before moving to Spain, where she has taken an early retirement and was involved in animal rescue work. Miss Winstanley continued a pottery company in Norfolk, before dying in a car accident in 2004.
The Magic Circle began a search for Ms. Lloyd last year.
“I felt important that the magic circle was able to recognize Sophie as the model of magician women, as well as to show that we are now a completely open society,” said Laura London, the first president of the company.
Ms. Lloyd only discovered research when her sister sent him a link to an interview. Initially reluctant to join the company because of the time that had passed, she finally decided to do so to honor the inheritance of Miss Winstanley.
With the kind authorization of Sophie Lloyd and Brendan RodriguesToday, the magic circle is still strongly dominated by men. The company has around 1,700 members, 5% of whom are women.
On Thursday evening, Ms. Lloyd will receive her new membership certificate during an event at the headquarters of London du Circle, which will present the performances of five magicians and will be done both by members of the company and the general public. The company claims that Miss Winstanley will also be recognized during the event.
“It’s for Jenny, really,” said Ms. Lloyd. “I just think Jenny would have loved him.”
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