forestage

American  

[fawr-steyj, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌsteɪdʒ, ˈfoʊr- /

noun

1. the part of a stage in front of the proscenium or the closed curtain, as the apron or an extension of the apron.

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Etymology

Origin of forestage

First recorded in 1920–25; fore- + stage

Example Sentences

But between each shift from one imposing full-stage vista to the next, useless mime-diversions invariably took place on the curtained-off forestage — Rudolf’s chums hiding in the drapes, for example.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2019

Certain ensemble scenes, notably a church picnic on Kittiwah Island, had to be played in the forestage area without the intended scenic backing.

From New York Times • Oct. 28, 2018

The forestage is filled with what looks like a mighty cubistic boulder on which Joan sits pale and still, like a piteous Prometheus in the midst of her tormentors.

From Time Magazine Archive

Without any intermission, the action overflows between three small inner stages and out into the audience on the forestage.

From Time Magazine Archive