Offstage means the area in a theater that the audience can't see, behind or to the sides of the stage. When actors aren't in a scene, they wait offstage until it's time for their entrance. Props, costumes, and stage crew members also stay offstage so they don't distract from the performance.

The word can also describe things that happen away from public view. A famous musician might be confident and energetic onstage but quiet and reserved offstage. A politician's offstage personality, the way they act when cameras aren't around, might be quite different from their public persona.

In scripts and stage directions, you'll see instructions like “exit offstage left” or “voices heard offstage,” telling actors where to go or indicating that sounds come from hidden areas. Theater people sometimes use offstage and backstage interchangeably, though backstage technically refers to the entire behind-the-scenes area, while offstage specifically means “not visible to the audience right now.”