Bald Heads and Blue Stars 

 
The manipulation of the 4th wall effectively communicated the purpose to inform
and evoke the audience's emotion about the subject matter of alopecia. Sarah
Peters production of Bald Heads and Blue Stars (BHBS) is a verbatim piece that is
composed of a collage style.  
  
Direct address effectively manipulated the 4th wall in order to inform the
audience about alopecia. Direct address is when an actor speaks directly to the
audience, completely breaking the 4 th wall. At the beginning of the play, all actors
are lined up in front of the designated acting space, where they deliver their lines,
informing the audience about different types of alopecia in ascending order of
severity while simultaneously tying in humour to engage the audience. The actors
made the audience aware that the production style was verbatim, as they
explicitly said that they would share stories from people across
Australia. The ensemble delivered their lines not as characters but rather as actors
themselves, through a human context lenses the actors have built
a relationship with the audience. They performed in real time as they engaged with
the audience, this is strengthened as they delivered their lines in front of the acting
space, positioning themselves closer to the audience as if they were sharing the
same space. The tension gradually built as each actor delivered their lines. When
tension was at its highest stage the mood was lightened as the
actors altered their voice print to be more childish, this was further enhanced by
their gestures. This bitter-sweet moment reminds the audience that
the actor's main purpose is to inform while tapping into the audiences emotions.
 
The use of Monologue evoked the audience's emotions through a clear shift
in focus, allowing them to empathise with the production. Monologue is a long
passage of speech recited by an actor. During the performance actor A recounts a
time during primary school, when she was pulled up on the
stage by troops informing the children about leukemia and
she was mistaken for having cancer. Actor A then goes onto reflect on the situation
as an older child. When she begins her monologue, the story is set at school, the
manipulation of place makes us believe that she is a school child. Further enhanced
by adapting this type of voice print. As the monologue progressed there was an
increase in tempo and assertion in her voice. Here she transitioned from acting as a
character to being the actor, this pinnacle moment held the most tension as her
voice print transitioned to her regular voice. By breaking the 4th wall the audience's
mood shifted from shock to empathising with the actor. As she developed a
relationship with
the audience they became more emotionally invested in what she had to say. The
use of narration and direct address compose one section of the many that make
the production a collage piece.