downstageadv.adj.
/ˌdaʊnˈsteɪdʒ/, U.S. /ˌdaʊnˈsteɪdʒ/ A. adv.
At or towards the front of the stage in a theatre, concert hall, etc. Cf. upstage adv.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > stage > [adverb] > front of stage
downstage1793
down1838
1793 F. Reynolds How to grow Rich ii. 21 Pavè. (coming down stage) Well!—have you thought—Oh, mum—applying to a friend!
?c1865 W. Phillips Camilla's Husband i. 12 (stage direct.) Judy comes down stage, L., touches Sloeberry roughly on the shoulder.
1898 L. Merrick Actor-Manager 41 It [sc. her train] would fall ‘down stage’.
1939 L. Hellman Little Foxes i. 11 Downstage, right, are a high couch, a large table, several chairs.
1968 Listener 18 July 72/1 Rather apart from the others..was Mr. Okara, advancing down stage to meet me with outstretched hand.
2012 C. King Natural Woman (2013) 241 We position ourselves in front of the single microphone on a stand downstage right.
B. adj.
Situated or occurring at the front of the stage. Cf. upstage adj. 2.
ΚΠ
1895 E. W. Townsend Daughter of Tenements xii. 130 Carminella stood at the down-stage end of one line of the sailor crew, and the large percentage of foreigners in the audience..singled her out.
1933 P. Godfrey Back-stage i. 15 He examines these things for himself before returning to his position on the down-stage centre mark.
1966 K. Tynan Let. 28 June (1994) vi. 355 A stripper is first seen in silhouette, projected on a downstage screen.
1967 T. Stoppard Rosencrantz & Guildenstern i. 23 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern occupy the two downstage corners looking upstage.
2004 Church Times 23 Jan. 40/1 Quiet downstage scenes are accompanied by the gentle thump of hidden set changes.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adv.adj.1793