Curtain-raiser

[H]e had tried all kinds: comedy, tragedy, prose and verse, the light curtain-raiser, the short sharp drama, the bourgeoisrealistic and the lyrical-romantic.

“Capricious Maneuvers,” the eight-minute romp of a curtain raiser that Mr. Peck made for City Ballet’s 2013 Fall Gala, was fun.

It is my opinion that your part in the affair is only a curtain-raiser to graver things.

But the first foray by Russian strategic bombers into the Western hemisphere since the Cold War is simply the curtain raiser for joint naval maneuvers that will bring Russian warships into Venezuelan waters in November.

When the Paris Olympics opening ceremony begins on Friday night, it will be the first time the theatrical curtain-raiser for the world’s biggest sporting event has taken place outside a stadium.