Backstage is the hidden area behind or beside a theater stage where actors prepare, wait between scenes, and store props and costumes. When you're backstage, the audience can't see you. Actors might practice their lines, adjust their makeup, or wait nervously for their cue to go onstage. Stage crew members work backstage, moving scenery, controlling lights and sound, and making sure everything runs smoothly during the performance.

A backstage pass gives you special access to this normally restricted area, like at a concert where you might meet performers after the show.

People also use backstage to describe the hidden work behind any public event. When reporters talk about backstage negotiations at a political summit, they mean the private discussions happening away from cameras. The phrase backstage drama refers to conflicts or tensions happening behind the scenes that the public doesn't see, whether in a theater production, a sports team, or any group working together. Understanding what happens backstage helps you appreciate how much preparation and teamwork goes into making something look effortless onstage.