Scoop: Please introduce yourself!
Alisha Richard (AR): Hi, I am Alisha “Ally Cat” Richard. I am from Long Island, NY, but I am originally from Portland, ME. I work as a buyer (specifically food industry) and event coordinator for a hospital. I am a costumer and a big ’80s kid. I absolutely love circus arts and I am a bit snobby about it. Don’t even try to talk to me about Barnum and Bailey if you haven’t been to the Big Apple Circus. I take static trapeze classes and I used to fly trapeze. Basically, I am happy if you throw me in the air.

Scoop: What first got you interested in cosplay?
AR: I started attending comic book conventions regularly in 2008 and I started cosplaying in 2010/2011. I really never thought I would cosplay. I thought it was cool, but not for me. I just didn’t have the confidence and I really don’t care for the attention. During the summer of 2010 I started flying trapeze as a student. At the end of the season, we had a student showcase and our theme was superheroes. I wound up buying this awful female Robin costume and I immediately took to my seamstress skills and started altering it to be suitable for flying trapeze. I added dance shorts underneath, fixed the leg opening, and used a scarf for the belt because the one in the package was awful. So now I had a costume and I had NYCC in two weeks. So I decided to give it a try. I was being daring. Turns out I really enjoyed it.

Scoop: What was it about cosplay that made you want to participate?
AR: What made me really like cosplay after trying it the first time was feeling like a part of the convention. I really get into feeling, like as a costumer I am part of the show for attendees even though I do not act. What makes me continue to enjoy it is the friendships I have made and the skills I have learned and continue to learn. It’s pretty amazing seeing how far you have come in your skill set and how far you can go.

Scoop: What’s your personal approach to the hobby? How do you pick a character to emulate?
AR: In the beginning, I picked characters that I absolutely loved and knew everything about which is always the best. But as time goes on picks are sometimes because of a design or a cool side character I might not know so well but seems pretty cool. More and more often I am finding my picks are an emulation of group costumes. Pretty much everything I made this year was for groups.

Scoop: Do you tend to make your own costumes or do you receive help?
AR: I have always made most of my costumes. When I started I did commission a few pieces, but I am too much of a perfectionist and I am never really happy with my own work, let alone another person’s. They did great work, I am just fussy. I am better off being fussy with my work. Now I pretty much make everything except for base corsets, and right now I am starting to learn wig styling, which should be interesting since I am awful at doing my own hair.

Scoop: What’s been one of your best or most memorable experiences in cosplay?
AR: I was dressed as Cirque White Rabbit, not even the regular DC White Rabbit, and I walked by David Finch’s line. He left his table (and huge line) to get a picture with me. I apologized to the people in line. They just told me they were jealous; I was shell shocked.

Scoop: What challenges or issues do you think cosplayers face the most?
AR: Oh my, that’s a toss-up between consent and bullying, but I think bullying is more prevalent because it happens from outside the community and from within. I have found there are people in this hobby that not only want to be a part of the hobby, but they also want to control the hobby and control the players within it. That was my experience and that’s the issue I deal with every day; trying to not be anyone’s puppet or punching bag. I think it’s a challenge for people to see that it’s happening.

Scoop: What do you think cosplay adds to the overall convention experience?
AR: It’s become pretty commonplace now, but for the most part it’s about bringing beloved characters to life and that always adds to the experience. I can’t imagine a show without costuming. It might be a bit bland without it.

Scoop: Any final thoughts you’d like to share?
AR: Above all, always remember to have fun. That’s the bottom line. It doesn’t matter how amazing the costume is, as long as you are having a good time!