Fourth Wall

The Fourth Wall is a theatrical convention based upon the idea that Characters on stage are separated from the audience by an invisible "fourth wall," which fosters the illusion that what is happening on stage is real, although separate from the audience's immediate reality. "Breaking the fourth wall" occurs when the presence of the audience is acknowledged by the characters on stage.

The Fourth Wall can be an important Given Circumstance to your play, and it's important to decide early on whether you want to use it or not. If you're going to use the Fourth Wall, all you need to do is have two characters who talk to each other without acknowledging the audinece. Often, the Fourth Wall is viewed as a "standard" way to have a play done, although it's one of the youngest bits of theater out there (it's about 150 years old). However, if you want to have characters that use Direct Address, that have asides, or that just generally speak to the audience, be sure to set that up early in the play. Otherwise, an audience will be confused.

Either having a Fourth Wall, or abandoning it, is a perfectly effective choice. But it has to be a clear choice.