stage business
- noun
- Jargon
:
gestos escénicos
- She silently engaged in stage business by dusting a bookshelf while the main dialogue continued.
Examples
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The actor's clever stage business with the letter drew laughter from the audience.
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His stage business with the hat added depth to his character's nervousness.
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The actor's stage business added depth to the performance.
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Good stage business can make a scene more believable.
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His stage business with the hat enhanced the realism of his character's nervousness during the play.
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As the conversation unfolded, she engaged in subtle stage business by adjusting her glasses, adding authenticity to her role.
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The actor's witty stage business with a prop not only entertained the audience but also emphasized the seriousness of the scene.
Synonyms
62
8.1
A small action an actor does on stage to make a scene look real
1
9.9
Small extra actions an actor makes to add humor or meaning to a scene
How Noticeable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'stage' (the performance platform) and 'business' (activity), so a learner can infer it refers to activity on the stage; however, the specialized theatrical sense of 'business' as small incidental gestures is not a common meaning of 'business' for B1 learners. Because the precise nuance — that these are minor, non-plot actions used to enhance realism — is a domain-specific use, the expression is only partially predictable from its parts.
Etymology
The phrase stage business comes from actors doing little actions on the stage that are part of their 'business' in a scene. These small acts, like dusting a shelf or fiddling with a hat, make the character and scene feel real, so today it means 'small actions or gestures' that add detail.