fifth wall

English

Etymology

By analogy with fourth wall.

Noun

fifth wall (plural fifth walls)

1. (theater) The division between the fictional world depicted, and the actual actors, props, etc.
   • 2010, J. Limon, The Chemistry of the Theatre: Performativity of Time, →ISBN, page 184:

     Bottom does not speak as a fictional figure pretending to be its actor, but, having crossed the fifth wall, as a “real” human being, as himself as Bottom.

   • 2011, Karin Kukkonen, Sonja Klimek, Metalepsis in Popular Culture, →ISBN, page 119:

     Presenting Silverstone as the protagonist of the former "Cyrin" clip in the context of the narration of the "Amazing" video also hints at a “sideways metalepsis” (a metalepsis between storyworlds) or the “breaking of the fifth wall” which is supposed to separate the different storyworlds in which one and the same actor/actress plays different roles.

   • 2014, Ken Ludden, Academy Method: Introduction to Teacher Training, →ISBN, page 149:

     When wanting to show intimacy with the audience, one will advance in this direction. It is known in acting as “breaking the fifth wall” and is when actor's may make comments, or assides, sharing their internal process with the audience, as if stepping out of the world created on the stage to join with them on an intimate basis.

   • 2014, Bryan Reynolds, Performance Studies: Key Words, Concepts and Theories, →ISBN, page 217:

     This creates a separation of the three worlds: three because, apart from the 'real' world of the audience and the perceiving minds of individual spectators, the one on the stage is in fact dual in nature, material and fictional, with both spheres divided by the fifth wall.

   • 2016, Marcus Aldredge, Singer-Songwriters and Musical Open Mics, →ISBN, page 142:

     The fifth wall is a progressively reflexive strategy where an actor in a theatrical performance breaks from the prescribed situational character and role and references her/his personal life or experiences (Genzlinger, 2006),

2. (art) The divide between critics or audience members and author or theater practitioner.
   • 2005, Lynette Hunter, Peter Lichtenfels, Shakespeare, Language and the Stage, →ISBN:

     If the 'fourth wall', the barrier between the actor and the audience introduced by theatre conventions, is an invisible artefact between the stage and the audience, the fifth wall may be thought of as the invisible wall between critics or readers and theatre practitioners.

   • 2006, Peter Holland, Shakespeare Survey: Volume 59, Editing Shakespeare, →ISBN, page 372:

     The volume is based on a workshop held at the Globe, designed as an opportunity to break down a so-called fifth wall – an invisible barrier between theatre practitioners and critics.

   • 2013, Theodore Sturgeon, The Perfect Host, →ISBN:

     Not only does Sturgeon break the “fifth wall” between playwright and audience in section 7 of this story (becoming a sort of character in the story himself), he goes further in section 8, breaking a sixth wall by warning the reader that he or she may already have become infected by the parasite just by reading this far.

   • 2014, Hannah R. Gerber, Sandra Schamroth Abrams, Bridging Literacies with Videogames, →ISBN, page 40:

     The words "stop complaining" serve as advice for the character within the game; acknowledgement of potential frustration the player may be experiencing by breaking the fourth wall (between character and player); and a wink toward critics with a move known as lampshade hanging (self-deprecatingly pointing out a flaw in anticipation of criticism), which breaks the fifth wall (between videogame designer and critic) (Hunter & Lichtenfels, 2005).

3. (theater) Any of various other divisions between groups of people in the theatre.
   • 1996, Albert Ramsdell Gurney, The Fourth Wall, →ISBN, page 48:

     There's a fifth wall here tonight. And that's the wall between men and women. Which may be the toughest of all to crack.

   • 2009, Paul Matthew St. Pierre, Music Hall Mimesis in British Film, 1895-1960, →ISBN:

     Performers still made their entrances from the wings of a stage, the stage of the film studio, only now the fifth wall division between onstage and backstage was replaced by the division between the field of action in front of the camera, recorded as the image within the frame of its lens, and the field of inaction outside its lens, outside its frame of reference.

   • 2012, Gillian Silverman, Bodies and Books, →ISBN:

     Whereas the “fourth wall” is the term generally used to refer to the barrier between audience and actors, the “fifth wall” has sometimes been invoked to describe “that semiporous membrane that stands between individual audience members during a shared experience.

   • 2013, Keith McHenry, Hungry for Peace, →ISBN:

     We share the ideas The Living Theater experimented with including involving the public in our performance in the “fourth wall,” an imaginary “wall” at the front of the stage or even the “fifth wall” described by Peter Lichtenfels as “that semi-porous membrane that stands between individual audience members during a shared experience.

4. (interior design) The ceiling.
   • 2000, Mary Young, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Decorating Your Home, →ISBN:

     The fifth wall is the ceiling. Ceilings can be painted a color, painted with special effects, or wallpapered.

   • 2001, Christy Ferer, Risa Palazzo, Breaking the Rules: Home Style for the Way We Live Today, →ISBN, page 169:

     The ceiling is the fifth wall of a room, so don't overlook it. Ceilings used to be elaborately decorated, ornamented with moldings, often highlighted with contrasting paint colors, or painted with pictorial panels of landscapes, mythological figures, or cloud-filled skies.

   • 2005, Heather J. Paper, Decorating Idea Book, →ISBN, page 208:

     Just look up. The ceiling, or fifth wall, deserves just as much attention as its counterparts.

   • 2007, Heather J. Paper, Decorating Ideas That Work: Creative Design Solutions for Your Home, →ISBN:

     The ceiling, or fifth wall, provides another decorative opportunity. Something as simple as painting the ceiling a shade darker than the walls can create a cozy feeling.

   • 2013, Candice Olson, Candice Olson Everyday Elegance, →ISBN, page 105:

     The ceiling is the fifth Wall in any room, and it's a huge part of the character of this Space.

5. (interior design) The floor.
   • 1955, New York State College of Home Economics Extension Service, Homemakers' Radio News, page 29:

     There's a "fifth wall" in every room. ..and it needs more care than the other four, put together. That "fifth wall" is the floor.

   • 2006, Cincinnati Magazine - Mar 2006, Vol. 39, No. 6, page 174:

     What's in store for your room's fifth wall? On a recent trip to Dalton, Ga., Dean Wright, district retail manager for McSwain Carpets & Floors, learned the latest on luxe looks soon to be underfoot.

   • 2009, Kathy Ireland, Real Solutions for Busy Moms: Your Guide to Success and Sanity, →ISBN:

     By selecting an area rug with colors that are present in the surrounding decor, your room's “fifth wall”—the floor—can pull everything together.

6. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see fifth,‎ wall.
   • 2008, Anthony Avillo, Fireground Strategies, →ISBN, page 627:

     Most rooms that I know of have four walls. If you are looking for a way out and you wind up on the fifth wall of what seems like a square room, chances are you missed an opening.