Upstage

Upstage is the area of the stage furthest from the audience — toward the back wall. The opposite of downstage, which is closest to the audience. The term comes from traditional theater where stages were raked (tilted), making the back literally higher.

How it's used

Upstage is a position reference in stage plots, lighting design, and crew communication. "The drum riser is upstage center" means back-center of the stage. Combined with stage left and stage right (from the performer's perspective) and downstage, these terms give crews a precise shared vocabulary for positions.