Magic society launches hunt for first female member, expelled for posing as a man

By Amarachi Orie, CNN

London (CNN) — Deception, disguise and finally a disappearance. This might sound like the premise of a magic trick, but it’s actually the story of a woman who managed to fool a male-only, world-famous magic society into admitting her, before being unceremoniously kicked out when she revealed her true identity. Now, they want her back.

Sophie Lloyd, an actress, was persuaded by her friend, a magician called Jenny Winstanley, in the late 1980s to apply to the Magic Circle. Winstanley didn’t think she would get away with playing the role of a man, so she enlisted Lloyd’s help, the Magic Circle’s chairwoman Laura London told CNN on Tuesday.

The women trained for 18 months in magic as well as how to act, dress and sound like a man, London said, adding that the “orchestrated deception” was “so brilliantly put together, almost like a heist.”

The Magic Circle’s purpose is to “promote and advance the art of magic,” according to its website. Magicians have to prove their skill to be admitted, and must promise to abide by the society’s Latin motto, “Indocilis private loqui” (“not apt to disclose secrets”).

Lloyd, who was in her 20s at the time, managed to fool the organization into accepting her in 1990, when she disguised herself as a man named Raymond Lloyd, London said.

Lloyd passed the entrance exam, which required her to perform tricks in front of members of the society, and started as an apprentice before becoming a full member of in March 1991.

A campaign to admit women into the all-male society became successful in October that year, and it was after this vote that Lloyd revealed her true self. “She thought (the society) would find it funny, I suppose, (but they) actually were really angry,” London said, adding that the Magic Circle kicked her out.

Lloyd continued to do magic, using it in a show to educate young people about bullying, London said. However, it has been “difficult to find her” since.

“I’d like to sit down and have a chat with her and see what happened to her,” London said. “I have a feeling she was very hurt by this and I really hope that it didn’t affect her ability to continue in the entertainment industry. I hope that it didn’t dishearten her.”

London added that she would like to “say thank you” to Lloyd, adding that the Magic Circle “would all like to apologize. But what we would love to do is invite her back.”

A lead in the search

London said it has come to light that Sophie was not the magician’s birth name, but a professional or stage name.

While they do not yet know her true surname, London said they believe her real first name was Sue, which she said has been confirmed by Winstanley’s son and a friend of the family. London told the BBC that Winstanley had sadly died.

“She’s just the most extraordinary woman to be so brave to do that, and I and many of us women in the industry are just finding this so courageous for these two to go about deliberately proving that women can do it as good as men,” London said.

The society now has more than 80 female members, according to its website. Although, this makes up about 5% of its cohort of more than 1,700 members.

“We really do hope that Sophie can be found so that we can welcome her back into our society,” Marvin Berglas, president of the Magic Circle, told CNN in a statement on Tuesday.

“Over 30 years ago, our predecessors made in my opinion a faux pas when they ejected her for deception – and the irony is not lost on us about a magician deceiving someone,” he continued.

“We welcome all good magicians whatever the gender and have been delighted to notice more and more women magicians join us,” he added.

Founded in 1905 in London’s Soho district, the society’s most famous members include magician Dynamo, actor Stephen Fry and even King Charles III, who joined when he was still a prince in 1975, after performing a cups and balls trick, according to the Magic Circle.

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