stage direction

American  

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.

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stage direction British  

noun

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

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stage direction Cultural  

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.

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Etymology

Origin of stage direction

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

The use of stage direction as couples therapy is one of the more poignant sequences in a film that tends to dance along the line separating the farcical from the bittersweet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

But the prop had long since slipped coach Steve Borthwick a stage direction to fill the vacancy he left behind.

From BBC • Nov. 8, 2024

The vast majority of scripts are written in third person, but Nolan tried something radical, putting the stage direction in the Oppenheimer sequences in first person.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2024

Danish theater director Kasper Holten, who is handling he stage direction, said it would be wrong to cancel the opera, “which is about unmasking power.”

From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2022

They were in Julius Caesar now and the stage direction “Alarum” confused Katie.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith