In a theatre, when actors or performers take a curtain call, they come forward to the front of the stage after a performance in order to receive the applause of the audience.
They took 23 curtain calls.
curtain call in British English
noun
the appearance of performers at the end of a theatrical performance to acknowledge applause
curtain call in American English
1.
a call, usually by continued applause, for the performers to return to the stage at the end of a play, act, etc.
2.
such a return, acknowledging the applause
Examples of 'curtain call' in a sentence
curtain call
He fully expected his curtain call at the end to be his last.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
Cricket usually grants a batsman his curtain call at the end of his innings.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He refused to take curtain calls and withdrew into himself.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Despite some signs of nerves her performance was well reviewed and she received nine curtain calls from one particularly gratified audience.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The bikers ended up taking curtain calls, staying for the whole run and inviting their families down to see the play.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
I performed the choreography with all the leaps and turns that the interpretation demanded and at the end took my curtain call with a bow.
Carlos Acosta No Way Home: A Cuban Dancer's Tale (2007)