The Magic Castle’s training program for kids celebrates 50 years

Anja Steyn has three disparate loves: puzzles, horror movies and magic.

And during her show at the Magic Castle two weeks ago, she not only predicted the horror film someone was thinking of — she produced an almost-finished puzzle of the movie poster, with the last piece in the unsuspecting audience member’s possession.

“Some of you might think it’s fate. Some of you might think it’s chance,” Steyn said. “But either way, it’s magic.”

Judging by her talent, one wouldn’t know that Steyn is only 17 and a member of the Academy of Magical Arts’ Junior Society. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the exclusive program — which counts Neil Patrick Harris (“How I Met Your Mother”) and Christopher Hart (“The Addams Family”) among its notable alumni — is shaping the next generation of magicians with mentorship, monthly classes and performance opportunities.

Anja Steyn, 17, flew in from Cape Town, South Africa, to perform at the Magic Castle for Future Stars of Magic Week.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Normally, the Magic Castle is only open to individuals 21 and older at night, but this week was the exception. During the annual Future Stars of Magic Week, the most-skilled juniors are invited to perform at the invite-only Hollywood club.

Steyn, who joined the Junior Society in April 2023, flew all the way from Cape Town, South Africa, for the occasion. It was only her second time at the Castle, having made her debut during Future Stars Week in 2024.

“Future Stars Week has given me the chance to perform a lot more. 21 shows in a week — that’s a lot,” Steyn told The Times. “It’s helped with gaining experience and gaining more knowledge. And also, you do get bragging rights to say that you’re a member at the Magic Castle.”

Junior Society chairman Steve Barnes and vice chairman David Doyle — who met through the Junior Society in 1985 — opened up the program to nonresident students during the COVID-19 pandemic. With help from the Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Foundation, they obtained all the equipment necessary to make their monthly sessions available via livestream. Their goal is to “flatten the world of magic and variety arts” and bring together kids of all backgrounds who are passionate about their craft, Doyle said.

“One of the coolest things about it is there’s literally no judgment about anything, except if your magic sucks,” Doyle said. “Everybody is accepted here.”

Magicians Steve Barnes and David Doyle met as students in the Junior Society in 1985 and now run the program together.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Diana, Princess of Magic

When the “World’s Foremost Lady Magician” Diana Zimmerman started the Junior Society in 1975, almost 100 kids applied. They were all white boys.

Today, magic still isn’t the most inclusive art, but Zimmerman wants to change that. Of the Junior Society’s 81 current members, nine are female. In addition to South Africa, students hail from Brazil, Canada, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom.

“They love to perform and they love magic, and that is the unifying thing,” Zimmerman said of the junior magicians. “And the other thing they have in common, and I really can’t stress this enough, is how they believe they can do it. It’s a belief that they can become anything they want.”

Raised in Phoenix, Zimmerman, inspired by her love of fantasy and fairy tales, discovered magic at the age of 8. Her family didn’t have a lot of money so she went door to door selling grapefruit to buy new magic tricks from Bert Easley’s Fun Shop. Her first illusion was turning a penny into a dime using a matchbox.

“I didn’t realize that girls weren’t supposed to do magic,” Zimmerman said. “Nobody told me I was a girl, I guess.”

She joined a teen magic club at 11, even though she was two years under the age requirement, and won her first trophy at 13. By the time she won her third, she was told to stop entering competitions because it wasn’t fair — she was beating all the boys.

Still, practicing magic with other young people was a formative experience.

“It surrounded me with other kids that were like me,” Zimmerman said. “Most kids that get into magic are very nerdy. We don’t exactly have the football players.”

Zimmerman moved to Los Angeles when she was 18 with $45 to her name, and even though she was too young to be a member of the academy, the board made an exception. The following year, she debuted at the Magic Castle, and to her surprise and delight, actor Cary Grant was seated in the front row.

The unlikely duo quickly became friends and pitched the idea of a youth club to the academy. The young magician had already been pleading with the board to start such a program for years, but having Grant on her side sealed the deal.

“It’s harder to say no to Cary Grant than Diana,” she said.

Zimmerman ran the Junior Society for 20 years and passed the torch to the late Bob Dorian in 1995. Today, she’s an advisor for the program and specializes in helping students develop their personal brand. Over the past 50 years, she’s only missed six meetings.

Magician Diana Zimmerman started the Junior Society in 1975 with actor Cary Grant.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

‘Magic is the foundation’

Jordan Meller, 17, taught himself magic at a young age by watching YouTube videos and visiting the Magic Apple store in Studio City. After learning about the Junior Society from his dad, he auditioned at 13 and made it in on the first try.

“It was kind of just me, until I joined the junior program,” Meller said.

Jordan Meller joined the Junior Society at 13 and performed in the Close-Up Gallery during Future Stars of Magic Week.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Unlike the Magic University — which offers magic classes for adults at the Castle — the Junior Society is designed for kids who are already far along in their training. Not only do members get to connect with other magicians, but they learn about brand development, website building and other business skills.

“This is not where a 13-year-old kid is going to come if they have an interest in magic or want to learn some magic tricks,” Barnes said, noting that most students have to audition multiple times. “We consider it more like the Juilliard [of magic].”

Although Barnes and Doyle don’t practice magic professionally anymore, they believe their training was essential to their personal and professional growth.

“The goal for us generally is that magic is the foundation piece,” Doyle said of the Junior Society. “And anything that they learn in this program, they can go on and apply to any other profession.”

Today, Barnes owns an insurance company and Doyle is an Emmy Award-winning producer and executive vice president at Hearst Media Production Group.

Junior Society alum Jason Latimer, 44, was named the World Champion of Magic in 2003 and now runs Impossible Science, a company that makes science education more accessible to children by framing concepts through magic. He chatted at the 50th anniversary reunion on July 22 with Collins Key, 29, who placed fifth in “America’s Got Talent” in 2013 and now runs a media production company, Keyper, with his brother.

“It’s the reason why I’m able to do what I do,” Key said.

Skyler Jade, 19, is a junior member of the academy and a student at UC Berkeley.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Kevin Li was also at the reunion. The 28-year-old mind reader, who graduated from the Junior Society in 2020, described the program as his “professional playground,” which gave him the skills he needed to pursue magic full-time. Today, he hosts private groups at the Castle and counts Michelle Yeoh, ASAP Rocky and Daniel Kaluuya among his high-profile clients.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Skyler Jade roamed around the party performing strolling magic with a deck of cards. A film and media student at UC Berkeley, she comes to the Magic Castle once or twice a month to refine her skills.

In addition to a vast network of magicians, society members benefit from plenty of performance opportunities, said Aidan Corcoran, 18. Ten juniors also get paid to perform at brunch every weekend.

“I’d always loved magic, and I knew it was going to play a part in my future but I didn’t know how,” Corcoran said. “Joining this place made me realize I can do this full-time. That’s an insane thing to even think now.”

“What the program is really about, and what magic really is, is magic. It is a way to allow kids that are mostly nerdy and shy to gain confidence, to gain skills that they normally would not get, because it teaches you to think differently,” Zimmerman said. “It teaches you to think, ‘I am possible.’ Impossible is I am possible.”