stage direction

noun

1. an instruction written into the script of a play, indicating stage actions, movements of performers, or production requirements.

2. the art or technique of a stage director.

stage direction

noun

1. an instruction to an actor or director, written into the script of a play

stage direction

1. Part of the script of a play that tells the actors how they are to move or to speak their lines. Enter, exit, and exeunt are stage directions.

Word History and Origins

Origin of stage direction¹

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

But that was not without some stage direction.

From Los Angeles Times

Samuel Beckett, a stickler for faithfulness, didn’t share this laissez-faire attitude toward his stage directions, which he expected to be punctiliously observed by others.

From Los Angeles Times

Even like having to write the action lines, because a lot of my plays, there’s no stage directions.

From Los Angeles Times

So I’m working off of production drafts and working with three different estates, and the originators aren’t around to explain, “That’s what this very shorthand stage direction meant.”

From Los Angeles Times

Jelinek’s signature dramatic form is the theatrical monologue: lengthy paragraphs of discursive text without clearly indicated characters, stage directions or conventional plot.

From New York Times