Rules of The Newcastle Magic Circle
-Founded 1933
General Club Rules:
1. NAME
The Society shall be called the Newcastle Upon Tyne Magic Circle.
2. OBJECTS
The objects of the Society shall be:
(a) To facilitate social intercourses, exchange of ideas and cooperation between all who are interested in or practice the Art of Magic.
(b) To assist in the advancement of Magical Invention.
(c) To encourage and assist every kind of effort, both individual and collective which may tend to foster and elevate the Art of Magic or to raise the status of the Magician.
(d) To protect from imitation or infringement, magical inventions or original forms of presentation.
(e) To suppress the disclosure of magical secrets to the general public.
(f) To found a Reference Library of works relating to the Art of Magic and kindred subjects, to which all Members of the Circle shall have access.
3. CONSTITUTION
Membership of the Circle shall be open to both sexes once they have attained the age of 16 years.
The Society shall have two classes of membership, namely:-
a) Member: Members are eligible to attend all meetings of the society and are eligible for full benefits of the society including:
I. Free admission to lectures held by the society.
II. Regular newsletters.
III. Use of the society reference library.
IV. Eligibility to enter society competitions.
V. Eligibility to vote in society competitions.
VI. Eligibility to vote in AGM and membership applications.
VII. Use of “Member of the Newcastle Upon Tyne Magic Circle” in advertising and publicity so long as subscriptions are paid in full.
b) Honorary Member: Honorary Members who may be elected at the discretion of the Council and will receive full benefits of the society as listed in para. 3 (a)
4. MANAGEMENT
The management of the Society shall be made up of a Council consisting of the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian, and Welfare Officer, together with six other duly elected Members. In the absence of the President who will normally act as Chairman of the Council Meetings, the other members of the Council will elect a Chairman for that meeting from among themselves. A minimum of five Council Members are needed to form a Council Meeting. All Members of the Council and all officers of the Society shall go out of office at the Annual General Meeting in each year, but shall be eligible for reappointment.
The Council shall be empowered to make, amend and cancel any additional regulations (that do not conflict with these Rules) as it shall consider beneficial for the smooth running of the Society. All additional regulations shall be notified to each Member, and must be adhered to until revoked. They can be revoked either by the Council or by a majority vote at a Special General Meeting or Annual Meeting of the Society.
All property and monies and of the Society shall be vested in the Members of the Council for the time being, who shall hold them in trust for members of the Society. All monies shall be banked with a Bank/Building Society to be approved from time to time by the Council and all cheques shall be signed by any two of the following - President, Secretary or Treasurer
5. VICE PRESIDENT AND OFFICERS
The Council may appoint a Vice President and such Officers other than there specified as constituting the Council, as it may deem necessary
6. SUBSCRIPTIONS
The Annual Subscription shall be: Members £60. Any Member reaching the retirement age of 65 will pay £30. All subscriptions shall be payable in advance in the month of April each year. A Member elected between 1st October and 1st March shall pay one half of the Annual Subscription for that year.
The Entrance Fee shall be: £50 (including binder)
Any Member whose subscription is 3 months in arrears shall automatically cease to be a Member of the Society.
Any Member whose membership has lapsed due to non-payment of the annual subscription for a period exceeding 3 months will be liable for repayment of the Entrance Fee. However, if a member informs the council of his resignation officially, they may rejoin in the future by paying a “re-joining fee” of £10.
7. ADMISSION OF MEMBERS
(a) Every candidate must send to the Secretary a Form of Application - as set out in the Schedule at the end of these Rules - duly completed.
(b) The candidate must also give a reference to two Members of the Society to whom he is personally known or must otherwise satisfy the Members he is a proper person to be proposed as a Member or Associate.
(c) On receipt of the completed application form, the Secretary shall invite the proposed new Member to the next convenient meeting of the Council and if approved, will be asked to give a 10/15 minute audition before the Members at the next appropriate meeting. After the audition, he/she will leave the meeting.
A panel of five judges shall be formed on the night by, and including the President or most senior ranked council member present, to determine if the applicant should be allowed to become a Member of the society. A candidate is deemed acceptable as a Member if the candidate can fulfil either of the following criteria:
I. If the candidate shows a genuine interest in magic
and
II. The candidate can competently perform magic.
The secretary shall record the result on the application form.
8. MEETINGS
Meetings of the Society shall be held on the 4th Monday of each month except December, unless otherwise specified.
9. CHAIRMANSHIP OF MEETINGS
The President shall preside at all Meeting of the Society, or in his absence some member of the Council, or in their absence some Member of the Society shall be elected by the Meeting to act as Chairman.
10. VISITORS
Any Member may introduce a magical friend or friends to the Society’s meetings and the introducing Member shall be responsible for the conduct of his guest or guests. The name of each visitor shall be entered together with the name of the introducing Member in the guest book. Visitors must pay £15 to attend a lecture. Any visitor is only allowed to attend 3 Circle meetings. After that time they must fill in an Application Form. The procedure which follows is as outlined in para 7. Friends of the Magic Circle will be allowed unlimited visits. These are husbands, wives & partners. Entry fee to lectures for them will be £5. There will be no fee for other meetings. The entry fee to lectures for members of other magical societies will be £10. All guests will be at the discretion of the President or council.
11. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting of the Members shall be held in April of each year. The purpose is to receive from the Officers of the Society reports of their various departments, to elect the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian, and Welfare Officer, plus six Members to the Council, and to transact any other business of which Notice has been given to the Members not less than seven days before the date of such Meeting. Nominees for election must have a minimum of 12 months membership.
12. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
A special General Meeting shall be called on receipt of a requisition signed by at least six Members stating the object for which the meeting is to be called. The meeting shall be called by the Secretary within seven days of receiving the requisition, and no business shall be discussed other than that for which the meeting has been called. The Council may call a Special General Meeting at any time should it be considered necessary.
13. RESIGNATION OF MEMBERS
A Member wishing to resign from the Society must forward written notice of his intention to the Secretary. In the absence of such formal notice of resignation the Member shall be liable for the subscription due for the current year.
14. EXPULSION OF MEMBERS
If at any time, the conduct of any Member shall appear objectionable to the majority of the Members of the Society or to the detriment of the interests of the Society or to the Art of Magic, it shall be the duty of the Council to invite the said member to resign from the Society within the stated period. Such Member shall have the right to state his case or offer an explanation of his conduct to the Council, either verbally or in writing, and the Council shall vote for his expulsion, he shall thereupon cease to be a Member. A vote of the full Council on the question of expulsion shall be by ballot.
15. LIBRARY
Any library books borrowed must be returned at the following meeting. In the event that no other Member is interested in borrowing the book(s) it may be borrowed for a further month. There shall be a fine of £1 per book per month on all overdue books.
16. ALTERATIONS OF RULES
These Rules may be added to, repealed or amended by resolution at any Annual or Special General Meeting, provided that notice of any such alteration shall be lodged with the Secretary not less than fourteen days before the date of such meeting. No such resolution shall be deemed to have been passed unless it is carried by a simple majority of the Members voting thereon.
Competitions:
·Norsto Cup Rules
-For Originality
1. Competitors may nominate one or more of their effects or routines from the Bob White Wand competition to be considered for entry into the Norsto Cup Competition. The organiser of the competition must be informed which effect or routine is being entered.
2. Criteria are most original concept, effect, apparatus or presentation.
3. The winner shall receive the trophy and retain it in safe-keeping for a period of twelve months. A small trophy shall also be presented to be retained by the winner.
4. The organiser of the competition retains the right to withhold the trophy should they consider that no competitor has reached the required standard.
5. Three members will be elected as the judges on the night.
6. Any member with information about originality or otherwise can take this to the Council.
·Edmund Cup Rules
-For Stage act
1. The competition shall be held each year in the headquarters of the Newcastle upon Tyne Magic Circle unless otherwise decided by the Committee.
2. The competition shall be open to all members in good standing of the Newcastle upon Tyne Magic Circle.
3. The minimum number of competitors shall be three and the maximum number shall be five. If there are more than five people wishing to enter then the first position shall go to the previous year’s winner, should they wish to enter. The remaining places shall be decided by names drawn from a hat.
4. Each performance shall be between six and fifteen minutes. Any competitor exceeding the time limit of fifteen minutes shall be disqualified.
5. A panel of a minimum of four judges to be arranged. These shall be made up of both magical and non-magical individuals.
6. The winner shall receive the trophy and retain it in safe-keeping for a period of twelve months. A small trophy shall also be presented to be retained by the winner.
7. The Committee retains the right to withhold the trophy should they consider that no competitor has reached the required standard.
8. Prize money of £50 to be awarded to the first prize winner and £25 to the second prize winer..
·Lennox Trophy Rules
-For Close-up
1. The competition shall be held each year in the headquarters of the Newcastle upon Tyne Magic Circle unless otherwise decided by the Committee.
2. The competition shall be open to all members in good standing of the Newcastle upon Tyne Magic Circle.
3. The minimum number of competitors shall be three.
4. Each performance shall be between six and fifteen minutes. A verbal warning will be given after twelve minutes and another at fifteen minutes. Any competitor exceeding the time limit of fifteen minutes shall be disqualified.
5. A panel of three or more judges to be arranged.
6. The criteria for judging will be
·Magical content
·Entertainment
·Appearance
7. The winner shall receive the trophy and retain it in safe-keeping for a period of twelve months. A small trophy shall also be presented to be retained by the winner.
8. The Committee retains the right to withhold the trophy should they consider that no competitor has reached the required standard.
9. A prize money of £50 to be awarded to the first prize winner and £25 to the second prize winner.
·Bob White Wand Cup
-Performance in at least Four Magical Disciplines
1. The Trophy shall be competed for annually, and presented to the winner at the Annual Dinner.
2. The competition is confined to members of the Newcastle Magic Circle.
3. The competition shall comprise at least four sections e.g; Card Effect, Children's Effect, Mental Effect, Silk Effect, Sleight of Hand Effect (not necessarily a routine) or Transposition Effect.
Further sections may be added by the Council should it be deemed desirable.
All members present on the occasion of the competition shall be asked to vote. Competitors cannot vote.
4. It is suggested that presentation of effect, topical appeal, dexterity, appearance of apparatus as well as originality be taken into account when judging. It should be borne in mind that originality alone is not the only factor to be considered, the Norsto Cup Competition being specifically intended for this, although it is realised that originality will be a big factor in influencing the person voting.
5. Competitors may nominate one or more of their effects or routines to be considered for entry into the Norsto Cup Competition for Originality. The organiser of the competition must be informed which effect or routine is being entered.
6. The member gaining the highest total of points for the series of Competitions shall be the winner and hold the Trophy for one year, plus a smaller one to keep.
7. Points shall be awarded as follows:
FIRST: 3 points
SECOND: 2 points
THIRD: 1 point
IN the event of a tie for 1st place, the points shall be awarded:
FIRST: 2 ½ points each
THIRD: 1 point.
(no 2nd place where there is a tie for 1st place).
In the event of a tie for 2nd place, the points shall be awarded:
FIRST: 3 points
SECOND: 1½ points each
(no 3rd place where there is a tie for 2nd place)
In the event of a tie for 3rd place, the points shall be awarded:
FIRST: 3 points
SECOND: 2 points
THIRD: 1½ points each
8. In the unlikely event of more than one person having the same winning total of points, the person who has won most 1st places in the series shall be declared the winner.
9. Should a tie still result, the trophy shall be held for six months by each winner.
Note:
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-Founded 1933
General Club Rules:
1. NAME
The Society shall be called the Newcastle Upon Tyne Magic Circle.
2. OBJECTS
The objects of the Society shall be:
(a) To facilitate social intercourses, exchange of ideas and cooperation between all who are interested in or practice the Art of Magic.
(b) To assist in the advancement of Magical Invention.
(c) To encourage and assist every kind of effort, both individual and collective which may tend to foster and elevate the Art of Magic or to raise the status of the Magician.
(d) To protect from imitation or infringement, magical inventions or original forms of presentation.
(e) To suppress the disclosure of magical secrets to the general public.
(f) To found a Reference Library of works relating to the Art of Magic and kindred subjects, to which all Members of the Circle shall have access.
3. CONSTITUTION
Membership of the Circle shall be open to both sexes once they have attained the age of 16 years.
The Society shall have two classes of membership, namely:-
a) Member: Members are eligible to attend all meetings of the society and are eligible for full benefits of the society including:
I. Free admission to lectures held by the society.
II. Regular newsletters.
III. Use of the society reference library.
IV. Eligibility to enter society competitions.
V. Eligibility to vote in society competitions.
VI. Eligibility to vote in AGM and membership applications.
VII. Use of “Member of the Newcastle Upon Tyne Magic Circle” in advertising and publicity so long as subscriptions are paid in full.
b) Honorary Member: Honorary Members who may be elected at the discretion of the Council and will receive full benefits of the society as listed in para. 3 (a)
4. MANAGEMENT
The management of the Society shall be made up of a Council consisting of the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian, and Welfare Officer, together with six other duly elected Members. In the absence of the President who will normally act as Chairman of the Council Meetings, the other members of the Council will elect a Chairman for that meeting from among themselves. A minimum of five Council Members are needed to form a Council Meeting. All Members of the Council and all officers of the Society shall go out of office at the Annual General Meeting in each year, but shall be eligible for reappointment.
The Council shall be empowered to make, amend and cancel any additional regulations (that do not conflict with these Rules) as it shall consider beneficial for the smooth running of the Society. All additional regulations shall be notified to each Member, and must be adhered to until revoked. They can be revoked either by the Council or by a majority vote at a Special General Meeting or Annual Meeting of the Society.
All property and monies and of the Society shall be vested in the Members of the Council for the time being, who shall hold them in trust for members of the Society. All monies shall be banked with a Bank/Building Society to be approved from time to time by the Council and all cheques shall be signed by any two of the following - President, Secretary or Treasurer
5. VICE PRESIDENT AND OFFICERS
The Council may appoint a Vice President and such Officers other than there specified as constituting the Council, as it may deem necessary
6. SUBSCRIPTIONS
The Annual Subscription shall be: Members £60. Any Member reaching the retirement age of 65 will pay £30. All subscriptions shall be payable in advance in the month of April each year. A Member elected between 1st October and 1st March shall pay one half of the Annual Subscription for that year.
The Entrance Fee shall be: £50 (including binder)
Any Member whose subscription is 3 months in arrears shall automatically cease to be a Member of the Society.
Any Member whose membership has lapsed due to non-payment of the annual subscription for a period exceeding 3 months will be liable for repayment of the Entrance Fee. However, if a member informs the council of his resignation officially, they may rejoin in the future by paying a “re-joining fee” of £10.
7. ADMISSION OF MEMBERS
(a) Every candidate must send to the Secretary a Form of Application - as set out in the Schedule at the end of these Rules - duly completed.
(b) The candidate must also give a reference to two Members of the Society to whom he is personally known or must otherwise satisfy the Members he is a proper person to be proposed as a Member or Associate.
(c) On receipt of the completed application form, the Secretary shall invite the proposed new Member to the next convenient meeting of the Council and if approved, will be asked to give a 10/15 minute audition before the Members at the next appropriate meeting. After the audition, he/she will leave the meeting.
A panel of five judges shall be formed on the night by, and including the President or most senior ranked council member present, to determine if the applicant should be allowed to become a Member of the society. A candidate is deemed acceptable as a Member if the candidate can fulfil either of the following criteria:
I. If the candidate shows a genuine interest in magic
and
II. The candidate can competently perform magic.
The secretary shall record the result on the application form.
8. MEETINGS
Meetings of the Society shall be held on the 4th Monday of each month except December, unless otherwise specified.
9. CHAIRMANSHIP OF MEETINGS
The President shall preside at all Meeting of the Society, or in his absence some member of the Council, or in their absence some Member of the Society shall be elected by the Meeting to act as Chairman.
10. VISITORS
Any Member may introduce a magical friend or friends to the Society’s meetings and the introducing Member shall be responsible for the conduct of his guest or guests. The name of each visitor shall be entered together with the name of the introducing Member in the guest book. Visitors must pay £15 to attend a lecture. Any visitor is only allowed to attend 3 Circle meetings. After that time they must fill in an Application Form. The procedure which follows is as outlined in para 7. Friends of the Magic Circle will be allowed unlimited visits. These are husbands, wives & partners. Entry fee to lectures for them will be £5. There will be no fee for other meetings. The entry fee to lectures for members of other magical societies will be £10. All guests will be at the discretion of the President or council.
11. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting of the Members shall be held in April of each year. The purpose is to receive from the Officers of the Society reports of their various departments, to elect the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian, and Welfare Officer, plus six Members to the Council, and to transact any other business of which Notice has been given to the Members not less than seven days before the date of such Meeting. Nominees for election must have a minimum of 12 months membership.
12. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
A special General Meeting shall be called on receipt of a requisition signed by at least six Members stating the object for which the meeting is to be called. The meeting shall be called by the Secretary within seven days of receiving the requisition, and no business shall be discussed other than that for which the meeting has been called. The Council may call a Special General Meeting at any time should it be considered necessary.
13. RESIGNATION OF MEMBERS
A Member wishing to resign from the Society must forward written notice of his intention to the Secretary. In the absence of such formal notice of resignation the Member shall be liable for the subscription due for the current year.
14. EXPULSION OF MEMBERS
If at any time, the conduct of any Member shall appear objectionable to the majority of the Members of the Society or to the detriment of the interests of the Society or to the Art of Magic, it shall be the duty of the Council to invite the said member to resign from the Society within the stated period. Such Member shall have the right to state his case or offer an explanation of his conduct to the Council, either verbally or in writing, and the Council shall vote for his expulsion, he shall thereupon cease to be a Member. A vote of the full Council on the question of expulsion shall be by ballot.
15. LIBRARY
Any library books borrowed must be returned at the following meeting. In the event that no other Member is interested in borrowing the book(s) it may be borrowed for a further month. There shall be a fine of £1 per book per month on all overdue books.
16. ALTERATIONS OF RULES
These Rules may be added to, repealed or amended by resolution at any Annual or Special General Meeting, provided that notice of any such alteration shall be lodged with the Secretary not less than fourteen days before the date of such meeting. No such resolution shall be deemed to have been passed unless it is carried by a simple majority of the Members voting thereon.
Competitions:
·Norsto Cup Rules
-For Originality
1. Competitors may nominate one or more of their effects or routines from the Bob White Wand competition to be considered for entry into the Norsto Cup Competition. The organiser of the competition must be informed which effect or routine is being entered.
2. Criteria are most original concept, effect, apparatus or presentation.
3. The winner shall receive the trophy and retain it in safe-keeping for a period of twelve months. A small trophy shall also be presented to be retained by the winner.
4. The organiser of the competition retains the right to withhold the trophy should they consider that no competitor has reached the required standard.
5. Three members will be elected as the judges on the night.
6. Any member with information about originality or otherwise can take this to the Council.
·Edmund Cup Rules
-For Stage act
1. The competition shall be held each year in the headquarters of the Newcastle upon Tyne Magic Circle unless otherwise decided by the Committee.
2. The competition shall be open to all members in good standing of the Newcastle upon Tyne Magic Circle.
3. The minimum number of competitors shall be three and the maximum number shall be five. If there are more than five people wishing to enter then the first position shall go to the previous year’s winner, should they wish to enter. The remaining places shall be decided by names drawn from a hat.
4. Each performance shall be between six and fifteen minutes. Any competitor exceeding the time limit of fifteen minutes shall be disqualified.
5. A panel of a minimum of four judges to be arranged. These shall be made up of both magical and non-magical individuals.
6. The winner shall receive the trophy and retain it in safe-keeping for a period of twelve months. A small trophy shall also be presented to be retained by the winner.
7. The Committee retains the right to withhold the trophy should they consider that no competitor has reached the required standard.
8. Prize money of £50 to be awarded to the first prize winner and £25 to the second prize winer..
·Lennox Trophy Rules
-For Close-up
1. The competition shall be held each year in the headquarters of the Newcastle upon Tyne Magic Circle unless otherwise decided by the Committee.
2. The competition shall be open to all members in good standing of the Newcastle upon Tyne Magic Circle.
3. The minimum number of competitors shall be three.
4. Each performance shall be between six and fifteen minutes. A verbal warning will be given after twelve minutes and another at fifteen minutes. Any competitor exceeding the time limit of fifteen minutes shall be disqualified.
5. A panel of three or more judges to be arranged.
6. The criteria for judging will be
·Magical content
·Entertainment
·Appearance
7. The winner shall receive the trophy and retain it in safe-keeping for a period of twelve months. A small trophy shall also be presented to be retained by the winner.
8. The Committee retains the right to withhold the trophy should they consider that no competitor has reached the required standard.
9. A prize money of £50 to be awarded to the first prize winner and £25 to the second prize winner.
·Bob White Wand Cup
-Performance in at least Four Magical Disciplines
1. The Trophy shall be competed for annually, and presented to the winner at the Annual Dinner.
2. The competition is confined to members of the Newcastle Magic Circle.
3. The competition shall comprise at least four sections e.g; Card Effect, Children's Effect, Mental Effect, Silk Effect, Sleight of Hand Effect (not necessarily a routine) or Transposition Effect.
Further sections may be added by the Council should it be deemed desirable.
All members present on the occasion of the competition shall be asked to vote. Competitors cannot vote.
4. It is suggested that presentation of effect, topical appeal, dexterity, appearance of apparatus as well as originality be taken into account when judging. It should be borne in mind that originality alone is not the only factor to be considered, the Norsto Cup Competition being specifically intended for this, although it is realised that originality will be a big factor in influencing the person voting.
5. Competitors may nominate one or more of their effects or routines to be considered for entry into the Norsto Cup Competition for Originality. The organiser of the competition must be informed which effect or routine is being entered.
6. The member gaining the highest total of points for the series of Competitions shall be the winner and hold the Trophy for one year, plus a smaller one to keep.
7. Points shall be awarded as follows:
FIRST: 3 points
SECOND: 2 points
THIRD: 1 point
IN the event of a tie for 1st place, the points shall be awarded:
FIRST: 2 ½ points each
THIRD: 1 point.
(no 2nd place where there is a tie for 1st place).
In the event of a tie for 2nd place, the points shall be awarded:
FIRST: 3 points
SECOND: 1½ points each
(no 3rd place where there is a tie for 2nd place)
In the event of a tie for 3rd place, the points shall be awarded:
FIRST: 3 points
SECOND: 2 points
THIRD: 1½ points each
8. In the unlikely event of more than one person having the same winning total of points, the person who has won most 1st places in the series shall be declared the winner.
9. Should a tie still result, the trophy shall be held for six months by each winner.
Note:
This website looks and works better when using Mozilla Firefox as your internet browser. Microsoft Internet Explorer does not support the latest web development standards.
