[chrisseaton]

Is ‘to backstage’ a verb?

[wyldfire]

You should read this like "man fools { security-to-the-backstage }" not "man fools { security } in order to backstage ".

[chrisseaton]

But in British English ‘security to backstage’ would usually be ‘security for backstage’ or ‘backstage security’.

[wyldfire]

I think that US English writers/readers would also find the latter the most common term for that noun phrase. I think the most likely explanation is that the writer+editor(s) did not choose the words well to describe the situation.

[mpclark]

This is a headline, not British English ;)

[pigtailgirl]

-- Well you're from Cheshire - and that's the DailyMail - so you tell us! =) --

[PebblesRox]

Maybe it was supposed to read “to get backstage” but someone left out the “get”.

[aaaaaaaaaaab]

security to backstage = the security personnel protecting the entry to the backstage area

[fsckboy]

in English it's relatively common to verbify. If you figure out a reliable way to get backstage, you can thereafter backstage whenever you want.

[markrages]

"Verbing weirds language."

[fsckboy]

fwiw, the definition of verbing mentions verbing nouns specifically. You weirdoed the usage.