downstage

American  

[doun-steyj, doun-steyj] / ˈdaʊnˈsteɪdʒ, ˈdaʊnˌsteɪdʒ /

adverb

1. at or toward the front of the stage.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the front of the stage.

noun

1. the front half of the stage.

downstage British  

/ ˈdaʊnˈsteɪdʒ /

adverb

1. at or towards the front of the stage

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adjective

1. of or relating to the front of the stage

noun

1. the front half of the stage

Etymology

Origin of downstage

First recorded in 1895–1900; down ¹ + stage

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

downstage

At one point, during “Be a Lion,” an encouraging song sung to the cowardly lion, Corn’s Dorothy walks downstage toward the audience.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2022

DeBessonet’s staging, refined but little altered from the Encores! outing, uses only a wide set of stairs and a downstage strip in front of them.

From New York Times ● Jul. 10, 2022

Biden walked in and, relatively unceremoniously, sat downstage right.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2022

Kushner remembers how moments before the final confrontation between Biff and Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman” Garfield would walk downstage and smoke a cigarette, leaning into a spot of red light.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 10, 2021

Martin is standing downstage left, telling a story to Abby and using lots of twitchy gestures.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli