Meaning
To become the focus of attention, dominating an occasion, debate or piece of reporting; also to occupy the leading or most prominent position in any affair. Now mostly figurative and common in journalism, applied to people, issues, places and things; the American spelling 'center stage' belongs to the same expression. Neutral to journalistic; extremely common in news reporting and usually met in the past tense. Regional use: General English (theatrical origin).
Origin
Centre stage is literally the middle of the performance space, the spot where an actor faces the whole house and holds the greatest natural attention; British English spells it 'centre stage' and American English 'center stage'. The OED dates the compound, as both noun and adverb, to 1875, with three senses running from the literal part of the stage to a position of prominence. The figurative use, usually in the fixed phrase 'take centre stage', is now dominant in journalism and commentary, moving people, issues and objects to the heart of attention. No source documents who first made that figurative leap; the inference from strongest stage position to focus of attention is obvious but undated.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- occupy centre stage
- share centre stage
- take center stage
Usage Examples
- Housing took centre stage in the televised debate, crowding out every other topic.
- After years of drumming behind the headlines, the songwriter finally takes centre stage on this tour.
- With fuel prices climbing, the humble bicycle took centre stage at the transport summit.