The fourth wall as a Compositional Language?

Abstract

This paper is a selected extract from the author’s graduation thesis (Licenciatura en Arte Escénico, Universidad Nacional de La Rioja, 2017; supervised by Daniela Martin, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba). The essay presents a theorical framework that aims to help make visible the modus operandi and compositional possibilities of the fourth wall. First, we focus on the contributions of Denis Diderot, Bertolt Brecht and Augusto Boal regarding the fourth wall. Then, we present a discussion of some related concepts, such as convention, code, fiction and event. Our study begins by reviewing some components of the theatrical event as defined by Jorge Dubatti and moves on to focus on the tensions generated between the perspectives of those who produce a theatrical event and those who are its spectators. These tensions lead us to some theorical ideas relevant to the contemporary scene which we define as distancing strategies and complicities.