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As the new 23-24 school year starts, the Corona del Mar Theatre Department begins its official year with its annual bonfire. The event is planned by Studio 617, the theater leadership team named in homage to the classroom number of the theater teacher, Ms. Ybarra. The bonfire is a great opportunity to facilitate bonding between everyone involved in theater at the school, welcome new students into the fold, and introduce people who may have not interacted before. As sophomore Emma Figueroa, one of the department’s stage managers, will tell you, between the multitude of productions put on by the CdM theater department, everyone has to “work together so closely, so it’s great having them meet each other.” Fellow sophomore Sloan Kelly agrees that with all the time everyone has to spend together it’s particularly important to be “introduced to new people” in order to bring them into the fold and so that “they can feel more connected.” Besides just bringing in new students, the annual bonfire is also an excellent opportunity to bring together the two factions of the theater community: the actors, and the technicians who work behind the scenes. Despite having different focuses, the two groups are each paramount to the other’s success. The bonfire, in addition to the other bonding events, makes sure everyone gets to interact and befriend each other in order to build the trust that leads to the high caliber of shows Corona del Mar is able to produce. Figueroa jokes that “you’re throwing a bunch of kids together in the scene shop with drills, you want them to at least get to know each other a bit.” Besides the bonfire itself, students entertained themselves with the slip-n-slide presented by sophomore Cameron Firoozi, taking a swim in the ocean, and at the end of the night roasting marshmallows over the fire.
Although a fun event, many were concerned over the date due to many students either having to miss or leave early from the bonfire in order to attend the CdM versus Cypress High School game known as “neon night”. Alex Grant, a senior who has been a part of drama since her sophomore year, lamented the conflict and the fact that she was forced to choose one event over the other. Grant pointed out that with vast numbers leaving the bonfire early “there’s really no bonding when [we’re] there for a whole ten minutes.” Despite the unfortunate conflict, the bonfire itself was still a success, setting a good tone for the rest of the year, particularly as actors head into auditions for the fall play, Radium Girls.
