We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelly Leveille and Anthony Mungo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly and Anthony, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
We are firm believers that there is a community for everyone, and if you can’t find one in your area, you should build it. Live-action roleplaying (LARP) can be a cross-section of improv theatre, cosplay and tabletop gaming, and sport. Its unique position transcending multiple fields of interest brings together people from all walks of life – our members include everything from active and ex-military to independent artists to corporate executives. Finding a place that creates a safe space for the sharing of ideas, experiences, and stories helps create a commonality between people who might never ordinarily cross paths, and helps people not only find their community, but actively help build it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Live-action roleplay (LARP) is and can be many things, though our specific style is both high fantasy and something known in the community as “lightest touch”. While there are many LARPs out there built to flex your fighting skills or serve only story, Alliance is focused on a blend of both, weaving combat and narrative into a complementary experience. Our events are weekend-long immersive experiences that allow you to adventure alongside a cast of everything from scholarly orcs to vicious elves, solving puzzles and waging war along the way.

Anthony: I’ve loved writing interactive stories from the time that I first learned they existed. In my youth I got into gaming where I discovered the joy of meaningful participation in fantasy situations. This taught me to understand and appreciate the stories and experiences from others’ perspectives, which eventually led to me owning and operating my own chapter of Alliance LARP first in Seattle and now in Atlanta.

From the creative side, I always enjoyed tales of myth and historical fantasy, so I knew that I wanted to participate within those genres and spaces. That said, the hardest thing to overcome in these spaces is the feeling that you are just re-treading old material or creating a mash-up of others’ work. To get over the hump of doubt and worry it just takes putting pen to paper and then sticking to it. By just getting started I found that I could produce a significant enough amount of work to be able to find a new story to share.

Kelly: I first entered the fringes of the hobby through cosplay, which I have avidly participated in now for over ten years. The joy of wearing something representative of a character or fandom I loved combined with the pride of making it was something I loved about the experience, and as my skillset grew something I wanted to push to the next level. My introduction to LARP took place over the span of a couple of years, and the community aspect combined with the ability and freedom to make costumes, props, and storylines of my own design was liberating. While initially frightening, to know now with the onset of Alliance Atlanta that others will be able to fully experience those stories Tony and I are working to tell and help shape them brings a unique sense of excitement and accomplishment that has me excited for what the growth of our business may bring.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Anthony: Any place with hot wings. There are so many in the city a week is not enough time to experience them all. Also shoutout to Big Dave’s Philly Cheesesteaks!

Kelly: My favorite place in Atlanta is The Consulate, a restaurant downtown with a revolving menu that features the food from a new country every 90 days!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our chapter is but one part of a much larger national organization, so we’d be remiss not to plug the Alliance LARP national brand. If you’re interested in fantasy, sword fighting, or living out your tabletop experiences in real time, look it up and find your local chapter!

Website: https://www.allianceatlantalarp.com/

Other: Discord: https://discord.gg/ukJqpWJsjb Email: allianceatlantalarp@gmail.com

Image Credits
Photos by: Anthony Mungo & Chrysander Mandragora

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.