With enough completed product to give us here at Party Now, Apocalypse Later Industries, I can say with 100% certainty that the premiere episode of The Fourth Wall, “Clipped Wings,” will run on Wednesday, September 27th. Therefore, over the next several weeks here on the blog we’ll run brief introductions to the characters for the show.
This week, let’s meet Abigail Westing. She’s both a former professor of literature and a soldier. Currently, she is the latest recruit to the ranks of The Fourth Wall. Hailing from our world—that is, the non-fiction one—she is unique in the history of The Wall. Since the days of antiquity when Merlin built The Fourth Wall to cover for his own grievous error, no one from the Real World has been allowed to work—or, for that matter, know about—The Wall.
Why has Director Watson broken this long-standing rule? Only he knows, and he is not about to let others know his reasoning. Despite receiving no answers as to why she is here, Westing has left behind the friends and life she knew before to join the eclectic crew of The Wall. It can be a bit of a challenge growing accustomed to living among fictional characters. Her mentor is Sherlock Holmes’ best friend, her best friend is the bird from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” and Count Dracula wants her dead. She can meet the Connecticut Yankee from King Arthur’s Court, travel via H.G. Wells’ Time Machine, and call upon any fictional hero to help her out in a pinch. It’s a good life, despite the dangers and frustrations. She’s found the one job that uses all of her training in equal measure, and the stories she has immersed herself in all her life are now a reality.
In all honesty, she’s had far worse jobs.
Now, some of you might be wondering why on earth I would want my main protagonist to be a woman…
If you’re really wondering that much, maybe don’t listen to the show? You’ll be missed, sort of…
Anyway, for those of you still around, in the radio show, Westing is voiced by Jill Sutton. Jill majored in Performance Theater in college and brings a polish and professionalism to the proceedings that is vital to Abigail’s essence. Here’s what she had to say about taking on the role:
Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside-down. And I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there and I'll tell you how I got involved with a group called The Fourth Wall…
She added, after we got her some guacamole:
Abigail brings a sense of innocence to The Fourth Wall that I feel the veteran members lack. In reading for Abigail, I really tried to capture the sense of awe and wonderment that a "real person" may experience when entering a world where your favorite character could come walking around a corner at any minute. She is able to provide real-world solutions to (fake-world? fictional-world? help me out here!) problems. She is fiercely loyal to her old friends and her new family, and has a no-nonsense attitude when any of them are threatened.
Next week, we’ll learn a little bit about what John Watson, MD has been up to since the days of his adventures at 221B Baker Street. Before the premiere of “Clipped Wings,” we’ll make quick stops into the work of Bram Stoker and Edgar Allan Poe. In the mean time, find where to subscribe to the show here.