Front Stage

Abstract Erving Goffman utilized front stage to describe how roles are enacted by individuals during face‐to‐face interaction and to understand the social meanings recognized by participants in these contexts from a microsocial view. The front stage is a region perceptually delimited in some way in which performers (also referred to as actors) utilize props and sign equipment to convey clear impressions of a specific role to some audience. During a performance an actor must consistently express certain details, while at the same time prevent the occurrence of incidents that might lead the audience to reject the presentation. According to Goffman, when rejection of the presentation occurs, embarrassment and shame is felt by the actors. The avoidance of embarrassment and shame is an extremely important motivator for actors to manage their impressions and maintain their roles during any face‐to‐face interaction.