The Fourth Wall

Last spring, I had the privilege of being involved in a community theater production of The Sound of Music. This beloved musical follows the true story of Captain von Trapp, a widower with seven children, and Maria, their governess from the local abbey. Maria eventually falls in love with the captain against the backdrop of the German invasion of Austria. With lively and entertaining songs that the world has grown to love, we follow the von Trapps as they establish a new family that includes Maria and ultimately escape occupied Austria by crossing the mountains into Switzerland to freedom. The venue for our community production was a small theater that seats about 200 people, and the actors are quite close to the audience while on stage. The intimate theater setting has been well loved in many countries throughout the ages. Live theater with an orchestra is a delicacy for small towns as community volunteers recreate productions, bringing them to life for all ages to enjoy. During a rehearsal, the director was coaching the cast on how to avoid distractions and stay in character during the performance. He cautioned that inevitably there would be babies crying, people talking, movement in the aisles, or noisy children. The director instructed the cast to imagine a fourth wall as they looked from the stage into the tiered seats of the theater. While the stage formed the back and side walls, the audience was directly in front of the stage; the actors had to imagine that there was a wall in front of them in order to create that magical experience that transports the audience into what the world was like during the beginning of the Nazi occupation of Austria. This invisible fourth wall had to be in place for the entire performance—until the end with the dramatic effect of the von Trapp family escaping from Nazi soldiers after singing on stage in a concert. In our performance, the uniformed Hitler youth actors stormed off the stage to hunt for the family throughout the audience with their flashlights and stern commands; here the imaginary fourth wall came crashing down. The entire theater became part of the drama and suspense. The disappearance of the invisible fourth wall was shocking. Some of the audience gasped and others cried. The effect was just as the director intended: shock and deep reflection, of being in that terrifying moment. This experience of the fourth wall reflects how God communicates in relationship with his people through Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, God's people sacrificed animals to seek forgiveness for their sins because their relationship with God had been broken. When Jesus came as the sacrificial lamb to die on the cross for our sins, the wall between man and God came crashing down (Hebrews 10:8-10). Jesus, as both the Lamb of God (John 1:29) and our High Priest (Hebrews 3:1), bridged the chasm between us and our holy heavenly Father. As 1 Timothy 2:5 (NIV) states, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus." Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, God is no longer seen as sitting in the audience of our lives. He has become part of our story, and we can communicate directly with him. Just as the fourth wall came down to make the theater audience part of the musical drama experience, so Jesus has broken that barrier for us with God. In this issue of JCN, find strategies to help nurses integrate faith and practice to provide quality care. The lead article by Cole discusses eating disorders and how nurses can intervene. Find special articles on faith community nursing, relevant clinical topics, use of technology, leadership, and ways to use prayer and presence. Nurses Christian Fellowship also has resources to support your nursing practice. Click on the QR code below to learn more.