Mac Farlane,Choo Kong for cosplay

AWARD-winning costume designer Brian Mac Farlane and director and producer Raymond Choo Kong and will lend their expertise to the upcoming Alias’ cosplay competitions and events.

The Alias Entertainment Expo (Alias) will celebrate its fifth anniversary this year from July 27-29 and will host two cosplay competitions at both the local and international level. Participants will have a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Nagoya, Japan, to represent TT on the international cosplay stage at the World Cosplay Summit (WCS).

The two highly-acclaimed practitioners of mas and theatre were invited to partner with the event to enhance the performances of all cosplay competitors to get them ready for the local competition and international summit.

Choo Kong will conduct workshops for participants of the competitions and Mac Farlane will sit on the judging panel of both cosplay competitions.

Four pairs of cosplayers will compete in the World Cosplay Summit Preliminaries: TT on July 29 at the Centre of Excellence in Macoya. The ninth annual Alias TT Cosplay Championship will also be hosted on that day and 14 cosplayers will compete for $10,000 in cash and trophies.

Cosplay or costume play has been an active part of Alias’ annual entertainment convention in Trinidad. Since 2008, Alias remains the largest convention event for local cosplay, the release said.

Alias will also host an open Cosplay Masquerade and a Kiddie Cosplay parade for those who do not want to compete, but still want to show off their cosplay skills on stage. The Kiddie Cosplay parade is open to children under 12 years and is aimed at facilitating the fun, family atmosphere that is signature to the annual event, the release said. As a special feature, children under five years enter the event for free and children 12 and under, once dressed in costume, also enter for free. Registration for both the Cosplay Masquerade and the Kiddie Cosplay will be open on the day of the event and will be free charge. All other registrations are closed.

The World Cosplay Summit is globally considered the Olympics/World Cup of international cosplay. Many cosplayers from around the world aim to get to Nagoya, Japan, where representatives from over 34 participating nations/regions display their best performances on stage to determine the grand champion. The WCS is a team-cosplayer event of two people, both building costumes and performing for the world title.

Countries such as Belgium, Chile, Myanmar, Puerto Rico and United Arab Emirates joined the World Cosplay Summit in 2017. This year, Alias has forged a long-term partnership with the WCS and is now the official hosts of the World Cosplay Summit Preliminaries: TT. TT is the first English-speaking Caribbean island ever to compete at the summit, the release said.

Tickets to attend the expo and view both competitions are on sale.