curtain speech

American  

noun

Theater.

1. the final speech of an act, scene, or play.

2. a brief speech by an actor, producer, author, or the like, immediately following a performance, usually delivered in front of the closed curtains on the stage.

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curtain speech British  

noun

1. a talk given in front of the curtain after a stage performance, often by the author or an actor

2. the final speech of an act or a play

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Example Sentences

Artistic director Danny Feldman noted in his curtain speech how rare it is to experience a show of this scale in a house as relatively intimate as Pasadena Playhouse.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2023

“We have a red velvet curtain, a curtain speech, a parlor song. To show dada smashing expectations, you have to establish the expectations first.”

From Washington Post • Apr. 28, 2016

As Michael Attenborough, the Almeida’s artistic director, said in a curtain speech on Wednesday night, “What you just saw tonight can’t happen where this company comes from.”

From New York Times • Jul. 21, 2011

They offered public-broadcasting-pledge-week-like rewards to donors: $1, you get a mention in their curtain speech; $18, you get a poster.

From Chicago Tribune • Mar. 9, 2011

All this time the tooth is still offering resistance, and eventually the dentist comes out in front once more and makes a little curtain speech to you.

From Cobb's Anatomy by Cobb, Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury)