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Breaking The Fourth Wall: Does Digital Interaction Compromise Theater?

Breaking The Fourth Wall: Does Digital Interaction Compromise Theater?

by Assistant Marketing Director Jim Vacey


The other day, I am sitting at the local movie theater watching Man of Steel (a film that my wife only wanted to see because Henry Cavill is, and I quote, “one of the sexiest men ever”) and I think to myself that this movie is truly incredible (and that I need to get to the gym and lose this gut). ‘How do they do it!’ I wonder, thinking back to when I was a kid swooping through the living room in my Batman PJs. It is after that particular thought that I realize I could never experience the adventures of Superman within an arm’s reach. I will always be an imagining observer beyond the fourth wall. 

The fourth wall. We experience it when we read a comic, sit through our favorite TV shows or watch a film. However, a stage performance by an actor of theater exhibits the strongest example of the fourth wall that no movie star on screen ever could.

We challenge the fourth wall and pretend that we are a part of the adventure during a TV show with Facebook posts or tweets - reality television is great for this since we can tweet our favorite celebrities or hometown hero as they collect America’s votes through text message - but we can hardly ever be physically a part of a performance; we will always be kept at a distance.

Theater actors exhibit the true power of the fourth wall experience. As an actor glides across the stage with impressive dance choreography or an actress swoons the male lead with a passion so real your heart breaks, we feel the urge to break through and interact with them and could if it were allowed.

However, the question remains, should the fourth wall ever be broken in theater? Does the suspension of belief have limitations in theater? Can I tweet my favorite actress during a performance and she message me back with “LOL I love you too! ;)” and still believe that that individual is the character I am supposed to believe she is?

We each have our own answer to these questions but the fact remains that unlike the movies or television, I can sit with my favorite actor and experience that emotional connection that I would not get while sitting in a movie theater. My senses are challenged while sitting watching a performance like The Mystery of Irma Vep and I feel like I am part of an experience that the digital realm cannot give me no matter how close I think I can be. Despite having to turn off cell phones during a performance, audiences still want to remain connected to the performers even if they can’t touch them.

So, should the fourth wall be broken? Only if the phones are on silent of course.

Photo by David Castillo Dominici

Posted: June 25, 2013