The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-08-21
TEE INVISIBLE WALL.
Conditions 90 Theatrical Representation
and Scenic Illusanm

To rHB EDITION or TIE suN-Sir: ID
BrAndes remarks In his Main Currents
= Nineteenth Century Literature Editio
r 1909. Vol IL, page IS:
a The champions Of realism IN ART were 81 thi
time advocating the substitution OF solid val
for Scenes Schleeel maintained that those VII
D Insisted on having three walls on the stage wei
4 logically Obliged 10 90 . step urtheF and have
fourth wall. on the side toward the audience.
without pretending to examine the con
ditlons Of the discussion referred TO. it ma
, he worth recalling. Like logo. We are moth
ing u not logical. And to-day though ",
would still admit that the obligation actu
ally 70 have q fourth wall on the side toWarc
the audience reduces tho logic 90 an alb
, snrdity, Ne are apparently not 80 sur,
OF ourselves when sons one suggests al
obligation imaEinatively to assume tn,
same thing.
Mr.. Clayton Hamilton in the recent col.
lection OF his essays designed ito illustrate
certain steady central p rinoiples OF dramatic
criticiSm- has for one gone step further
and has Incorporated in his body Of doe
trine q tentative proposal for 20 assuming
tho fourth wall In lie logical station. Re
ierrlng 10 device Of stage direction IN the
production % Tho Passing Of the Third
Floor Back. he recalls that for the purposs
OF seating the actors facing front in tho
successive dialogues with TAs Passerby
tho producer adopted tho expedient OF
Imagining q fireplace in the fourth wall OF
the room. the wall that 10 supposed 20 stretch
across the stage at the line OF the footli ghts
\ red glow from the central lamps OF the
string OF footliRhts was cast up over q brass
railing such as usually bounds a hearth,
and behind this far forward in the direct
| centre Of the stage two chairs were dra wn
up for the use OF the actors The Theory
OF the Theatre 1910. page 1891. After
noting that this device In his opinion con
tributsd to tho Verisimilituds Of the set.
he adds the suggestion. whether IL might
not in many other plays he advanta geous
20 make imaginary uss OF the invisible
fourth wall . Mr. Hamilton seems to re-
gard the instance he cites a. not only re-
markabls. which II II by reason Of the sus-
tained and persistent Use Of the d0vice, but
also AZ lacking in precedent. which II In not.
For some earlier inst ances and for q sane
ton OF authority In stage direction not in
ferior 60 that OF Mr. Forbes Robertson We
might recall that the late Clyde Fitch nv allied
himself Of the device in the nrSt act OF The
StubbOrnness Of Geraldine Edition 1909.
page ISi. that Mr.. william Gillette did 50
in the third act Of Sherlock Holmes and
MIR. David Belaaco in the fourth act Of I'm
der Two Flags in tho superb arene in
Chellala Gorge In the last act Of the cur
rent Seven DAYS the device serves the |
purpose ~ a brief episode. In fact the de- |
vice may 10 frequently observed in brief |
and momentaTy use Now that an inst Ance /
81 persistent use has been made the occasion
for Offering tho device a. a legitimate ele-
ment IN the formal theory OF staging feel
Justified IN airing the contrary opinion Nv
own conclusion, which II mistaken I should
he GLAD to have "orrcc,~d has been thar
the assumption Of q fourth wall standing in
position ON the side toward the audience
emma The question. however goes 70
The root Of the theory Of -cenlc representa-
ton in our present embossed stage. l shall
therefore reduce my understanding u the
matter to it, b6ldest statement
In a performance Of a play the srenSry
nth which the stage 10 set may he regarded
" -Cenic means only. not a. s~enic result
Painting. a. Leonardo dA vinci said. in a
,lane by its sctence shows vast countries
Ind far on horiEons' Or as We should
ay for our present special purpose. the
'lane. the painted canvas OF the stage, IL the
cenic means on which the srenlc result
re"ted by the imagination Of the audience
: the fabric 81 vision OF vast countries
nd far OF horizons
Bearing in mind this distinction batveen
he scenery and the sCenio fabric, We may !
ote that the fabric itself il divided into !
No distinct parts for the trafis OF the play.
ne confined 10 the stage and shut OF from
hc second by tho material means Of visual
,Ation Afforded in the scenery. the second
attending beyond. ampler. indefinite In '
'ope, a territory Of no settled boundary q
nj ~ which tn. map will alter at flashes
suggestion. The first part. where the !
ory Is controlled by the acting may be q
aled the primary scenic field and the other 2
here the story - controlled by narrative.
,fereuCe and aluEIon. the secondary a
enc field II is this two fold division
hiCh distinguishes the scenio fabric OF a p
lay IN performance from that. say. Of a !,
Dvel in the reading. The Ambulatorv
enc fabric Of the novel reader Is all OF a v
eCe
The secondary scenic neld NAV conve- !,
entity b. regarded a. Invisible into four /.
arts For special purposes We may dis n
nzuish to more-ons lying above and y
volv~d NAtn overhead storms are repre- -
nted or overhead rooms brought within "
e compass OF the spectators thought the
her lying below and involved whenever y
wsr stories or the -cellArase- are In ques- a,
IN. Of tho customary -four parts that $,
hich stretches away from the back cloth ri
Ites from the time Of the arrhaic theatre -,
he Two extending At the sides have been "
ded by the gradual recession OF the GO
age platform 81
The division 81 the secondary field into
rte. an arbitrary division In 80 far a. the
III IL after all unbroken and continuous
responds to the NEE hanism Of scenic -,
and accordingly to the di-
,ion Ne commonly make when Ne speak an,
the THREE walls or the four walls OF the ,,.I
N. The word -wallz IL perhaps unfor- 10,
llte and misle aiding. being moro appro- i'm,
ate to a discussion Of tho scenery than II
-"enic fabric. but even when We use the
word IN it- literal sense Ne can hardly on
Cus- the interior walls OF q room a. an VII
neni Of a definite scene without an i'm. q
cation NJ the regions lying behind 80 it psf
convenient and viii involve US in no fall cat
y to refer to the primary field represented on
the stage itself a. the -s"ens- and to the w w
ondary field as composed OF the several -
all- OF the scene, including In the word
alls those vast count rie- and far on
'tzons comp rised in the fabric ,
n the several walls the constituent ele- =,
nts Of he fabric vary. II may be com IN.
ed OF visual images or Of mental repre- "a
tations ~ visual images. or Il may lack IN.
mite imagery Altogethe and become OF
ionAl IL We used little or no scenery ass
80 several kinds Of fabric mi Eht be- found mil
he primary field also. whereas to-day this or
4 ~ ordinarily garnished by means OF zip
- I nlau