I. ˈ ̷ ̷ˈ ̷ ̷ adverb
Etymology: back (II) (used prepositionally by analogy with upstage, downstage ) + stage
1. : in or to a backstage area
changes of costume to be made backstage — Winifred Bambrick
rushed backstage after the performance
2. : in a backstage setting : secretly , privately
officers of the convention were chosen backstage
working backstage to gain support for his plan
II. ˈ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ adjective
1. : of, relating to, or occurring or carried on in a backstage
backstage voices and sounds to give the impression of a mob
a backstage worker shifting scenery
her backstage impersonations of the company's principal dancers — Current Biography
2. : of or relating to the private lives of actors, actresses, or theater people
a backstage love affair
or purporting to depict the private lives of theater people
a backstage musical
3. : of or relating to the hidden, inner, or behind-the-scenes workings or operations (as of an organization or institution)
a key backstage figure in the new regime — Newsweek
: concealed from public view
backstage deals and promises
III. ˈ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ noun
Etymology: back (III) + stage
: the whole or any part of the area of a stage that is behind the proscenium ; specifically : the dressing rooms of a theater