"Stage Door" is a play about a group of aspiring actresses living in a boarding house in New York City. It is set during Great Depression. It has been adapted into a movie of the same name.
Historically, the Great Depression hit the world of Broadway just as hard as everywhere else. The number of running shows decreased dramatically, and actors (who, as a whole, are largely unemployed even during periods of economic stability) were struggling to survive. During this time, many stage performers were recruited by Hollywood, and left for California on multi-year contracts with studios. The studio system was rapidly approaching its peak (Hollywood’s “Golden Age” was primarily in the 30s and 40s) and as a result, many theatre people abandoned Broadway in favor of the more stable, albeit less “artistic” Hollywood. The study guide written by the production's Dramaturg provides some excellent additional insight into the role of women in the 30's and the studio system. It's online at http://www.byuarts.com/downloads/Stage_Door_Study_Guide.pdf
I found significant evidences of the influence of the Social Realist movement in this play. It was written in the 30s, in the middle of the movement. In particular, I noticed three things: the glorification of the dedicated, perseverant working class; the implied moral lesson in Keith Burgess’ views, and the unabashed portrayal of the ugly side of things.
All of the girls who live in the boarding house are aspiring actresses. Some of them have more talent than others, and some are more successful in their searches than others. Despite this, they all got along amazingly well. They supported each other in their triumphs and disappointments, sometimes even paying rent for those who had been out of work for so long that they couldn’t. This respectful, glorifying portrayal of the lower classes is very much in line with the communist/socialist undertones in Social Realism.
“Stage Door” may be about acting, but it certainly isn't about glamorous starlets and fabulous parties. The only girl who succeeds financially in the play is painted as a villain because she abandons the art of the stage for the lure of Hollywood. Even when she comes back to New York to visit, she isn't connected with her friends at the boarding house anymore, because her life has been consumed by her fame as a Hollywood pretty girl. Another girl commits suicide later in the play, after she is fired from her part in a show. Even the girls who manage to land roles are frequently not employed for long, because whatever show they were cast in closes.
Keith Burgess’ character is the most obvious Social Realism element in the play. In the beginning of the play, it quickly becomes apparent that he has socialist/communist political leanings: every play he writes and everything he says is about the masses, the people, and the message. He hates Hollywood and its pretty, sappy portrayal of life, and he is determined to write a play about the truth and get it produced. However, he is corrupted by the lure of Hollywood's corrupt but lucrative capitalism, and abandons his ideals for a prosperous career writing junk for Hollywood hits. His symbolic decision to leave Broadway and move to California is portrayed as entirely negative: he is undoubtedly a fallen character.
I thoroughly enjoyed this production. It offered a wonderful insight into the clashing worlds of Hollywood and Broadway in the 1930s and the political tension that was inescapably part of that clash.
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