Anja Steyn has three disparate loves: puzzles, horror motion pictures and magic.
And through her present on the Magic Fortress two weeks in the past, she not solely predicted the horror movie somebody was considering of — she produced an almost-finished puzzle of the film poster, with the final piece within the unsuspecting viewers member’s possession.
“Some of you might think it’s fate. Some of you might think it’s chance,” Steyn mentioned. “But either way, it’s magic.”
Judging by her expertise, one wouldn’t know that Steyn is barely 17 and a member of the Academy of Magical Arts’ Junior Society. Celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this yr, the unique program — which counts Neil Patrick Harris (“How I Met Your Mother”) and Christopher Hart (“The Addams Family”) amongst its notable alumni — is shaping the following era of magicians with mentorship, month-to-month courses and efficiency alternatives.
Anja Steyn, 17, flew in from Cape City, South Africa, to carry out on the Magic Fortress for Future Stars of Magic Week.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Instances)
Usually, the Magic Fortress is barely open to people 21 and older at night time, however this week was the exception. In the course of the annual Future Stars of Magic Week, the most-skilled juniors are invited to carry out on the invite-only Hollywood membership.
Steyn, who joined the Junior Society in April 2023, flew all the best way from Cape City, South Africa, for the event. It was solely her second time on the Fortress, having made her debut throughout 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 advised The Instances. “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 by the Junior Society in 1985 — opened up this system to nonresident college students through the COVID-19 pandemic. With assist from the Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Basis, they obtained all of the gear essential to make their month-to-month classes accessible by way of livestream. Their objective is to “flatten the world of magic and variety arts” and produce collectively children of all backgrounds who’re captivated with their craft, Doyle mentioned.
“One of the coolest things about it is there’s literally no judgment about anything, except if your magic sucks,” Doyle mentioned. “Everybody is accepted here.”
Magicians Steve Barnes and David Doyle met as college students within the Junior Society in 1985 and now run this system collectively.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Instances)
Diana, Princess of Magic
When the “World’s Foremost Lady Magician” Diana Zimmerman began the Junior Society in 1975, nearly 100 children utilized. They have been all white boys.
Right this moment, magic nonetheless isn’t probably the most inclusive artwork, however Zimmerman desires to alter that. Of the Junior Society’s 81 present members, 9 are feminine. Along with South Africa, college students hail from Brazil, Canada, Italy, Japan, Spain and the UK.
“They love to perform and they love magic, and that is the unifying thing,” Zimmerman mentioned 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.”
Anja Steyn is certainly one of 9 ladies within the Junior Society.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Instances)
Raised in Phoenix, Zimmerman, impressed by her love of fantasy and fairy tales, found magic on the age of 8. Her household didn’t have some huge cash so she went door to door promoting grapefruit to purchase new magic tips from Bert Easley’s Enjoyable Store. Her first phantasm was turning a penny right into a dime utilizing a matchbox.
“I didn’t realize that girls weren’t supposed to do magic,” Zimmerman mentioned. “Nobody told me I was a girl, I guess.”
She joined a teen magic membership at 11, although she was two years underneath the age requirement, and gained her first trophy at 13. By the point she gained her third, she was advised to cease coming into competitions as a result of it wasn’t honest — she was beating all of the boys.
Nonetheless, working towards magic with different younger individuals was a formative expertise.
“It surrounded me with other kids that were like me,” Zimmerman mentioned. “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 title, and although she was too younger to be a member of the academy, the board made an exception. The next yr, she debuted on the Magic Fortress, and to her shock and delight, actor Cary Grant was seated within the entrance row.
The unlikely duo rapidly grew to become mates and pitched the concept of a youth membership to the academy. The younger magician had already been pleading with the board to start out such a program for years, however having Grant on her facet sealed the deal.
“It’s harder to say no to Cary Grant than Diana,” she mentioned.
Zimmerman ran the Junior Society for 20 years and handed the torch to the late Bob Dorian in 1995. Right this moment, she’s an advisor for this system and makes a speciality of serving to college students develop their private model. Over the previous 50 years, she’s solely missed six conferences.
Magician Diana Zimmerman began the Junior Society in 1975 with actor Cary Grant.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Instances)
‘Magic is the foundation’
Jordan Meller, 17, taught himself magic at a younger age by watching YouTube movies and visiting the Magic Apple retailer in Studio Metropolis. After studying in regards to the Junior Society from his dad, he auditioned at 13 and made it in on the primary attempt.
“It was kind of just me, until I joined the junior program,” Meller mentioned.
Jordan Meller joined the Junior Society at 13 and carried out within the Shut-Up Gallery throughout Future Stars of Magic Week.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Instances)
Not like the Magic College — which gives magic courses for adults on the Fortress — the Junior Society is designed for youths who’re already far alongside of their coaching. Not solely do members get to attach with different magicians, however they find out about model growth, web site constructing and different enterprise abilities.
“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 mentioned, noting that the majority college students should audition a number of instances. “We consider it more like the Juilliard [of magic].”
Though Barnes and Doyle don’t apply magic professionally anymore, they consider their coaching was important to their private {and professional} development.
“The goal for us generally is that magic is the foundation piece,” Doyle mentioned of the Junior Society. “And anything that they learn in this program, they can go on and apply to any other profession.”
Right this moment, Barnes owns an insurance coverage firm and Doyle is an Emmy Award-winning producer and government vp at Hearst Media Manufacturing Group.
Junior Society alum Jason Latimer, 44, was named the World Champion of Magic in 2003 and now runs Inconceivable Science, an organization that makes science schooling extra accessible to kids by framing ideas by magic. He chatted on the fiftieth anniversary reunion on July 22 with Collins Key, 29, who positioned fifth in “America’s Got Talent” in 2013 and now runs a media manufacturing firm, Keyper, along with his brother.
“It’s the reason why I’m able to do what I do,” Key mentioned.
Skyler Jade, 19, is a junior member of the academy and a scholar at UC Berkeley.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Instances)
Kevin Li was additionally on the reunion. The 28-year-old thoughts reader, who graduated from the Junior Society in 2020, described this system as his “professional playground,” which gave him the talents he wanted to pursue magic full-time. Right this moment, he hosts non-public teams on the Fortress and counts Michelle Yeoh, ASAP Rocky and Daniel Kaluuya amongst his high-profile purchasers.
In the meantime, 19-year-old Skyler Jade roamed across the social gathering performing strolling magic with a deck of playing cards. A movie and media scholar at UC Berkeley, she involves the Magic Fortress a couple of times a month to refine her abilities.
Along with an unlimited community of magicians, society members profit from loads of efficiency alternatives, mentioned Aidan Corcoran, 18. Ten juniors additionally receives a commission to carry out at brunch each 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 mentioned. “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 mentioned. “It teaches you to think, ‘I am possible.’ Impossible is I am possible.”
