Curtain raiser

Origin

In the bustling theatres of 19th-century Britain, audiences expected a full evening's entertainment. Often, before the grand main drama or opera, a shorter, lighter play or a comedic sketch would be performed. This preliminary act, designed to warm up the crowd and fill the early part of the evening, literally initiated the night's proceedings as the curtain was raised for the very first time. Known as a "curtain raiser," it was the opening flourish that set the stage for what was to come, a theatrical term that soon transcended the stage to describe any event that precedes a more significant one.