set the stage for

set the stage for something 

1. Lit. to arrange a stage for an act or scene of a production. The stage crew set the stage for the first act. They set the stage for the second scene while the orchestra played.

2. Fig. to prepare something for some activity. The initial meeting set the stage for further negotiations. Your negative comments set the stage for another big argument.

See also: set, stage

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set the stage for something

if you set the stage for something, you make it possible or likely to happen The purpose of that first meeting was to set the stage for future co-operation between Russia and the USA.

See also: set, stage

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set the stage for something

to prepare the way for something else to happen This new information sets the stage for a long and interesting trial.

Etymology: from the preparation of the stage in a theater for the performance of a play

See also: set, stage