stagecraft
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of stagecraft
Explanation
Stagecraft is the art and design of putting on a play. If you're a musical theater buff, you might be inspired by the stagecraft of musicals like Hamilton, The Lion King, and Wicked. The term stagecraft covers everything from the writing of a play to its staging, set design, and lighting. Stagecraft sometimes specifically means "skill at staging plays," and you might even hear it used to refer to film production. The theater director at your school may be inexperienced when it comes to stagecraft, resulting in a production of West Side Story that appears to be set in a dentist's office.
Vocabulary lists containing stagecraft
Lesson 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The initiative will also offer mentorship and hands-on exposure to careers in stagecraft, design and production for Y members from ages 16 to 24, and talk-backs connecting live theater to the Y’s civic leadership programs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
The best that can be said for the Roadster event was that it was, for some, a guilty-pleasure throwback to the good old days of Tesla stagecraft.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
Borrowing the classic language of stagecraft, an effective illusion relies on three parts: the setup, the extraordinary turn and the final reveal that returns the situation to normal.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
The Telegraph awarded four stars to the "spellbinding spectacle", while the Guardian's four-star review said it features "spectacular stagecraft and plenty of modern resonance".
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
“Your father has a knack for stagecraft, I think!”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
