One gets tight after gathering at the back or front of stage (5)
I believe the answer is:
apron
'front of stage' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'one gets tight after gathering at the back or' is the wordplay.
'one' becomes 'an' (an apple is one apple).
'gets' is an insertion indicator (gets can mean captures or absorbs).
'tight after gathering at' becomes 'p' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'the back' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'or' reversed gives 'ro'.
'p'+'ro'='pro'
'an' enclosing 'pro' is 'APRON'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for apron that I've seen before include "Paved area where aircraft are parked" , "Area for aircraft not in use" , "Kitchen protector" , "item of protective clothing" , "Protective garment (with strings attached!)" .)