Conflict behind Magic Castle's curtains

A proposal from the owner could alter Academy of Magical Arts' residency.

- BY CHRISTOPHER REYNOLDS

DANIA MAXWELL Los Angeles Times

MAGIC CASTLE, which has stages and a restaurant, changed owners in 2022.

A Hollywood institution known for mystery, deception and drama, the Magic Castle is now gripped by a new variety of suspense.

Magic Castle mansion owner Randy Pitchford, who bought the establishment in 2022, has presented a reorganization plan to his tenant, the Academy of Magical Arts. The AMA is the nonprofit club that operates the castle and whose performer-members have helped build it into one of the world’s top venues for magic.

In a series of proposals, Pitchford has offered AMA members a choice between embracing his plan — which gives him control over castle operations and most revenue — or finding another clubhouse when the academy’s lease expires Dec. 31, 2028.

Members have until Sept. 29 to decide.

With backing from the AMA's board of directors, Pitchford presents this moment as a chance for the academy to secure a vibrant future for the Magic Castle while preserving its legacy.

But the proposal is causing “division, fracturing and confusion” among many AMA members, as one magician, Ralph Shelton, put it. Some members, who asked not to publish their names, told The Times they believe that Pitchford is using an ultimatum to take control of the castle. Other members say they simply worry that Pitchford is giving AMA members too little information.

“The easiest people to fool are magicians and scientists,” said Shelton, a Huntington Beach attorney who put himself through law school by doing magic. “You know what they’re looking for and you work around that.”