Stage

From Conservapedia

A stage is a raised and level floor or platform designed to afford onlookers a better view of its occupants. The term most commonly refers to the area of a theatre where the players perform but can also refer to the location of a political or sporting event.

Stage may also refer to a portion of a sequence of events, so that progress is made in stages; or a resting point so that a stagecoach travels between two points and stops for significant periods in between.