fourth wallnoun [ S ]
/ˌfɔːθ ˈwɔːl//ˌfɔːrθ ˈwɑːl/specializedan imaginary wall that separates the audience from the action of a stage play or film, which is said to be broken when an actor talks directly to the audience or starts talking as themselves rather than as their character:
Several of the characters in "House" break the fourth wall and address us directly.
More examples
- She seamlessly breaks through the fourth wall at one point, and plays with the audience.
- He shows a keen instinct for how to serve a dramatic situation, how to bring an audience through the fourth wall of a stage to the very soul of the matter.
- Hitcho utilizes the space well by making eye contact with the audience to draw them into the scene, thus eliminating the usually impenetrable theatrical fourth wall.
- The film-maker eventually smashes the fourth wall and has his lead actor break character to ask the director where the story is going.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Cinema & theatre: parts of plays, shows & films
- act
- blooper reel
- byplay
- coup de théâtre
- curtain call
- denouement
- finale
- flashback
- intermission
- interval
- scene
- set piece
- showstopper
- sketch
- stage direction