In 1935, the United States in the Great Depression and heading toward World War II, and New York’s plays and musicals were finding their way west to become motion pictures.

During this transitional time, Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman cast the movies as the villain  when they wrote “Stage Door,” which explores the lives of young actresses working and trying to make it in New York.

Vintage High School brings the play to the stage this week with a cast of 32, directed by Susan Davis.

“Stage Door” is set in the Footlights Club, a residence club for young women working on the stage. Under the watchful eyes of former actress, Mrs. Orcutt (Lindsey Evans) and the long-suffering housekeeper, Mattie (Ashley Zaragoza), girls go off to work, out to auditions, and out on dates. The ladies, and their dates, come from all over the country.

Leah Ewald plays Terry Randall, a talented but undiscovered actress, who meets some of the “right” people: Jean Maitland (Olivia Salinas), who becomes a Hollywood star; Keith Burgess (Tim Bacon), a rising playwright; and David Kingsley (Carlos Martinez), an executive at the Globe Picture Company.

Also in the cast is Terry’s sarcastic friend from the midwest, Judith (Cieara Blue), who accepts a double date with Madeleine (Audrianna Hernandez) and a couple of fellows from her hometown of Seattle played by Matt Clark and Chris Bacon. Sarah Villata is the Southern belle, Bobby,  and her Texan beau, Sam, is played by Will Luippold. Other young students from the New York School of Acting, include Susan (Amellia  Fiske) and Jimmy (Jeremy Bomar).

Not everyone lasts in New York. Louise Mitchell, played by Sarah Anderson, returns to Wisconsin to get married, and Linda Shaw (Jesse Borem) moves out after her mother (Charlene Aoki) and brother (Alta Heights second grader, Forrest Blue) surprise her with a visit and discover that she has been out all night.

Kaye Hamilton (Christina Mustain), a mysterious new girl, assures Mrs. Orcutt that she will not have any dates.

Other residents include the offbeat Bernice Niemeyer (Jessie Bauer), Big and Little Mary (Sasha Hazelton and Alyssa Ciapponi), Olga (Alycia Smith), Ann (Alex Trochet), Pat (Giovannie Robledo), Kendall (Sam Poyser), Ellen (Chelsea Page) and Toni (Amanda Hennagin). Jess Cuffe plays a footlights girl in Act 1, but then takes on the challenging role of Adolph Gretzel, president of Golbe Pictures. Two other men round out the cast: Luis Reyes as Mattie’s husband, Frank, and Buddy Brazer as Terry’s father, Dr. Randall.

“Stage Door” opens Thursday, with performances Friday and Saturday, and Dec. 6, 7 and 8. Next Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 29-30, Dec. 1, and Dec. 6-8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Vintage High School Little Theater at 1375 Trower Ave. There will also be a Sunday matinee this week only, December 2, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, but all audience members can get a dollar discount by bringing two cans of food or two packages of toiletries to be donated to the Food Bank and Adopt-a-Families. For more information, call 253-3626.