Color Psychology

During the beginning of my freshman year of high school, I joined as many clubs as I could, joining those that seemed even slightly interesting in hopes of finding a niche that I had been searching for. I joined the cheerleading team and was able to express my pride of the school and its members; however, nothing really felt right until I was forced by my friends to audition for the musical in my sophomore year. I was cast as an ensemble member in HRA’s production of Fiddler on the Roof and had the time of my life; many of the friends I already had were in theatre and helped facilitate my assimilation into the world of theatre. There, I met so many kind and wonderful people; I always felt appreciated and listened to, and I quickly met some of my closest friends to this day. On opening night, I felt the high and nerves that all of the performers felt, and on closing night I cried along with everyone else when our seniors took their final bows. Theatre gave me an outlet that I had yet to experience and I was truly grateful for the short two months I had spent working on this production.

I took a break from theatre in my junior year simply because of the time commitment that would be required and the stress of the workload from my classes; however, I rejoined the theatre community at the beginning of my senior year for the play Almost, Maine. In the words of John Cariani, the playwright, “Almost, Maine” is inherently pretty sweet. There is no need to sentimentalize the material. Just... let it be what it is—a play about real people who are really, truly, honestly dealing with the toughest thing there is to deal with in life: love.”

Almost, Maine is written as a collection of eight one-acts with each scene presenting a different situation with different characters all connected with the same theme of love and the turmoil accompanying it. Moreover, “Everything takes place at nine o’clock on a cold, clear, moonless, slightly surreal Friday night in the middle of the deepest part of northern Maine winter

(Cariani).”; thus, each scene is occurring at the same moment in time, mirroring reality in which any person could be experiencing something crucial in their lives at the same time as someone else. Particularly, my scene was called “Where it Went” and it revolved around a married couple who have just gone ice skating. My character, Marci, attempts to make her husband remember their anniversary by taking him to where they had their first date; however, Phil, her husband, does not remember until she confronts him and an argument ensues. Marci accuses her husband of always working and never spending time with their family while Phil claims that Marci covers her emotions so he never knows where he stands. In the end, Marci and Phil realize how broken their marriage is and Marci leaves the skate rink, driving off without Phil.

As discussed later, the effects of the stage lighting in this scene are critical. According to “Stage Lighting and the Psychology of Colour”, stage lighting can be broken down into five main positions: front lights, side lighting, high side lighting, back lighting, and down lights. Front lights are the primary light source for most scenes and “the distinction between warm, cool, and neutral front lighting establishes mood, time, and place.” Side lighting highlights the performer’s body while high side lighting accentuates the facial expressions of the performer. Back lighting creates depth by separating the performer from the set. Finally, down lights highlight the performer’s head and shoulders; these lights are used “to wash or flood an area of the stage with soft or harsh light (“Stage Lighting and the Psychology of Colour”).”

Consequently, the selection of colors determine the emotions that the audience will experience and how they will perceive the emotions of the characters in the scene. However, one must first understand how the brain processes color. David G. Myers and C. Nathan Dewall state that the wavelength, or the distance between wave peaks, help to determine the hue of the perceived color while the intensity, determined by the amplitude of the waves, influence brightness. These wavelengths enter the eye through the cornea which bends this light in order to focus it; then, the light passes through the pupil which is surrounded by the iris, a muscle that controls the size of the pupil according to light intensity. The iris is integral to the appearance and demonstration of emotion; for example, when disgust is felt, the pupil constricts and it dilates when lust is felt. Behind the iris and the pupil is a lens that focuses the light onto the retina which contains rods and cones as well as neurons that begin to process visual information. Rods process black, white, and grey, are sensitive to movement, and are needed for peripheral vision while cones process color vision and daylight and give detail to color; these receptors trigger chemical changes that activate neural processes ultimately leading to the optic nerve which transmits the neural impulses created to the brain.

There, the information is routed to the thalamus, the sensory control center; the thalamus is the highway of the brain, receiving sensory information and routing it to the correct cortex for processing. With visual information, the thalamus would route the information to the visual cortex in the occipital lobe. However, visual information is susceptible to manipulation as the process of perception, or the process of interpreting information to give it meaning, begins. Particularly in the context of Almost, Maine and later Dear Juliet, the context of the situation and the comparisons drawn from that and previous experience can determine what one sees. For example, a tomato viewed through a tube will appear to change color as the daylight changed but that same tomato in a salad would appear the same color despite changes in light. This is called color constancy and allows humans to “perceive familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the objects (Myers and Dewall, 209-222).” In the context of the plays, the shadows created by the stage lights are unfamiliar and are thus open to manipulation; specifically with Almost, Maine, shadows mimicking mountains and ponds were created, leading the audience to believe in their authenticity.

In relation to emotion, color selection can influence the audience’s mood and the scene’s tone. In a study conducted by Naz Kaya and Helen H. Epps at the University of Georgia, ninety-eight volunteered college students were “asked to indicate their emotional responses to five principal hues (i.e., red, yellow, green, blue, purple), five intermediate hues (i.e., yellow-red, green-yellow, blue-green, purple-green, and red-purple), and three achromatic colors (white, gray, and black) and the reasons for their choices.” The  researchers used the standardized Munsell color system to randomly show participants color samples; the participants were only allowed to state one emotional response for each color. Kaya and Epps found that green and yellow gained the highest number of positive emotions because they were associated with nature and happiness; blue was associated with the ocean or the sky, thus a calming color, and red was associated with love as well as blood or evil. For the intermediate hues, green-yellow held the highest number of negative responses as it was akin to sickness. Regarding the achromatic colors, white was the most popular, associated with innocence, hope, and peace; conversely, black and gray only received 19.4% and 7.1%, respectively, of positive responses. Black was associated with depression or fear as well as mourning and tragic events, while gray was associated with bad weather and sadness. Kaya and Epps concluded that “a color-related emotion is highly dependent on personal preference and one’s past experience with that particular color (Kaya and Epps).”

I spoke with Mr. John Nichols, the stage and lighting designer for Almost, Maine, about his color selections and the purpose behind his selections. He showed me photos he took throughout the play of each scene; he pointed out a few in particular to show the contrasting lights to illuminate the differences of the scene and the sentiments of each scene. Specifically, he began with the first scene which occurs outdoors and ends happily as the two characters become cognizant of their feelings towards each other; Mr. Nichols explained to me how he carefully choose the light blue lights to highlight the actors’ faces and the darker blue lights to accentuate the ambiance of the night, highlighting the hope and calm these characters find with each other. Conversely, the next scene occurs in a bar on the outskirts of the town and includes heartbreak and rejection for the two characters; thus, harsh yellow lights were chosen to highlight the atmosphere of the bar and the emotions to come, contrasting with the traditional ideas of yellow as seen with the research of Kaya and Epps. Next, I was shown photos of the fourth scene which ends with a marriage proposal; pink and red lights were chosen to further the romantic nature of the dialogue.

Specifically in my scene, the lights were more localized and harsh; to create the illusion of an ice skating pond, the two characters were sat on a bench on one side of the stage and the other side was made dark to create the shadows needed. A mix of blue and yellow lights was created for the side lighting and high-side lighting, while the front lights were an array of blue. Mr. Nichols explained that when he asked people what colors they associated with winter, the season of this play, blue was the primary answer; thus, different blue lights were chosen to enhance the cold of the winter as well as the disconnect between the two characters as their marriage falls apart. The down lights washed the stage in harsh lighting, again to show this disconnect. Similarly, he explained that a circle of light was created around the bench as most of the dialogue occurred here; however, Phil would routinely wander outside of this light and was left alone in the harsh lighting of the other side of the stage while Marci would remain the circle. Moreover, if Marci ever wandered outside of this circle, she would quickly return to the safety of the light; Mr. Nichols created this after watching myself and my scene partner rehearse and he began to notice the pattern of our movement. This circle of light could portray the emotions of the characters, meaning that Phil feels more disconnect and retreats from arguments while Marci attempts to remain in the right and wishes to maintain the marriage.

Similarly, color plays a major role in how the emotions of the characters are expressed in the original musical written by Cassie Davies and directed by Jill Shoemaker, Dear Juliet; Davies writes, “Dear Juliet features four women and each of their relationships with the same man. It follows each of their stories, providing insight into the psychology of young females, and it is conveyed entirely in the format of letters to and from Juliet who represents a mother or close friend to all four women. Like other musicals, Dear Juliet holds the mirror up to humanity so people can see themselves.” In Dear Juliet, my character is named Abigail and is the girlfriend of Drew, the man who is seeing all four of these girls; Abigail is a somewhat insecure girl who realizes that she is not the number one priority to Drew. Throughout the musical, Abigail faces a turmoil of emotions as she believes that Drew is becoming more invested only to soon become aware of his cheating, thus experiencing heartbreak; towards the end of the musical, however, Abigail as well as the other girls begin the path of self-acceptance and she has accepted what has happened. The color of the backdrop and the changing of those colors, as written in the stage directions by Cassie Davies, reflect the turbulent emotions of the characters.

The musical opens with each woman explaining their relationship with Drew and how they write letters to Juliet; for each woman, specifically Abigail, Drew is the man they love and they are hopeful for the future. With a red backdrop, the emotions of love and adoration are furthered according to the research conducted by Kaya and Epps described earlier; specifically, the researchers describe how one participant claimed that “the color red reminded her of Valentine’s Day and the shape of a heart (Kaya and Epps)”.

At the end of this first number, the backdrop fades to orange as the duet between Jill Shoemaker’s character, Tessa, and Alex Grigsby’s character, Lauren, begins; although the color orange was not specifically touched upon in Kaya’s and Epps’ research, the researchers do claim in their introduction that orange has been found distressing or upsetting in previous research (Kaya and Epps). However, in a study conducted by Stephen E. Palmer, Karen B. Schloss, Zoe Xu, and Lilia R. Prado-León of the University of California, Berkeley, the relationship between color, music, and emotion was studied to determine which colors were associated with which music tempi as well as what kind of emotions; these researchers found that “faster tempi were generally associated with more saturated, lighter, and yellower (warmer) colors...” as well as “a happy, energetic emotion, consistent with happy, energetic colors (e.g., saturated-yellow and light yellow)...”. Moreover, they conducted further research regarding color, faces, and emotions and which faces matched what color, and thus what emotion; when participants were shown faces from the Marian and Shimamura gray scale, “happy faces were paired with light, highly saturated, warm colors (e.g., vivid and pastel yellows, oranges, and reds) (Palmer et al.)...”.

Thus, conflicting information regarding the color orange is present, yet both definitions of this color are applicable to this scene; both Tessa, the friend, and Lauren, the ex-girlfriend, feel unappreciated by Drew and have had recent experiences with him that have left them unsettled and frustrated. Moreover, Tessa and Lauren just wish for Drew to see them and to finally give them the appreciation they  deserve; throughout the ensuing duet, the line “pay attention to me” is repeated numerous times by both girls as they implore for their situation to change. Accentuated by the orange backdrop, the feelings of distress as well as feeling energetic are present as both girls attempt their best to bring his attention back to them.

As the backdrop fades to yellow, the next scene holds a duet between Morgan, Cassie Davies’ character, and Abigail. Morgan is Drew’s best friend but is someone he treats as more than a friend; moreover, Morgan knows about Abigail and the other girls as well as Drew’s antics and she wishes for him to change and treat her as if she were the only girl for him. Abigail, however, is completely unaware of the other women and just notices him becoming more reserved. The duet between Morgan and Abigail reaffirms their love for Drew despite the melancholic undertone as they sing “You know that I love you”. Thus, a yellow backdrop for this scene is somewhat contradictory as the two characters are quite sad and feel useless as they do not know how to resolve the situation; however, perhaps because they claim that they love him and end the song resolving to not change anything, a yellow backdrop is fitting because it foreshadows a happier time or because it gives hope to these women.

Next, the backdrop transitions into that of a green one, darkening over the course of the scene in which the four women are getting ready for a date with Drew. Specifically for Abigail, she—as well as the other women, unbeknownst to her—has received a  red rose from Drew, the flower of love, and she believes they will be heading to his favorite restaurant for a nice dinner. All four women are shown getting ready, finishing by putting the rose in their hair and heading to the restaurant; there is a short song in which the elation from Abigail and the resolve of the other three women is described. As described by Kaya and Epps, “the color green attained the highest number of positive emotions, including the feelings of relaxation, followed by happiness, comfort, peace, and hope. Green was associated with nature and trees, and thus creating feelings of comfort and soothing emotions (Kaya and Epps).” Thus, the green backdrop of this scene accentuates the happiness and comfort Abigail feels as she believes Drew is finally picking her and is willing to spend more time with her; moreover, the other three women end the scene with happiness when they resolve to surprise Drew at his favorite restaurant and thus hope as they wish for this meeting to end happily.

However, this is the pivotal scene in which all four women meet each other and become aware of their relationship with Drew and his infidelity. A spotlight shines down on Abigail and then on each of the four women, highlighting their meeting; after a few seconds, a blackout ensues and the figure of Juliet appears, handing each woman a letter. The first solo is Tessa’s, accompanied by a dark green backdrop. Tessa is a strong character and, throughout her solo, reflects her hurt but mainly confronts Drew with his past mistakes and how she believes that he has skewed priorities; moreover, Tessa claims that if Drew thought more of others and less of himself, pain and misunderstandings could be avoided. Here, the green backdrop shows the resilience—similar to that of nature—of Tessa and her peace with the situation, as well as her hope for a better future. The darkness of the green backdrop elucidates how strongly Tessa believes in her convictions.

Similar to Tessa, Lauren enters to begin her solo with a dark green backdrop. However, Lauren’s solo incorporates the beauty of nature through the use of an extended metaphor surrounding fireflies; furthermore, Lauren begins deeply hurt but ends her song forcefully, telling Drew to finally leave her alone and think about the effects of his actions. The green backdrop again reflects the tranquility of nature, as evident by the fireflies, and the acceptance and hope that Lauren possesses; both she and Tessa have let go of Drew and this situation in order to move on. Not only does the selection of a green backdrop exemplify the character’s emotions, but it also portrays to the audience that infidelity does not have to mean the end of hope for future relationships and that these women will remain strong despite the hurt they have experienced.

Following this, Morgan begins her first solo accompanied by a blue-green backdrop; during this song, Morgan attempts to understand how Drew could so easily toss her aside and think less and less of her. She repeats “I don’t understand how..” numerous times eventually concluding with how he is still an integral part of her life and how she cannot seem to escape him. As discussed above, the color green, as reported by Kaya and Epps, provides feelings of tranquility and hope while the color blue was described as relaxing and calming; moreover, blue-green gained the highest number of positive responses among the intermediate colors. However, this backdrop contradicts the feelings of the character at this point; Morgan has not yet accepted what has happened and remains in turmoil, attempting to think of ways to remain with Drew and become more important to him. In this scene, the color blue might indicate feelings of sadness or depression despite the high positive ratings it received among the participants of Kaya’s and Epps’ study (Kaya and Epps); depending on the hue of the blue and the past experiences of the audience member will determine the perception of the emotion in this scene.

Mirroring the previous scene, Abigail’ —my—solo begins with a fully blue backdrop. Because Abigail was the girlfriend of Drew, she believed that she played an integral part of his life, despite her insecurities; after being faced by the other women, Abigail begins to question every facet of her relationship, questioning whether anything Drew told her was real. Throughout the song, Abigail attempts to convey her sadness and how worthless she feels; moreover, she realizes that Drew never took the time to get to know her and that all he has done “is pushed me away faster than I can run”. These emotions are perfectly complemented by the color selection of the backdrop; as discussed above, the audience’s perception of the color blue and the tone of the song will determine the meaning taken away from this backdrop. Similarly, Stephen E. Palmer, Karen B. Schloss, Zoe Xu, and Lilia R. Prado-León from the University of California, Berkeley—as discussed above—conducted research regarding color, faces, and emotion; after showing participants faces from the Marian and Shimamura gray-scale, the researchers discovered that “...sad faces were paired with darker, desaturated, cool colors (e.g., dark bluish, or dark-greenish grays)(Palmer et al.)...”. Therefore, if Abigail’s face, or the other women, appears sad-- furthered by the lyrics—then the blue of the backdrop will accentuate the intent of the emotions in this scene.

When the women receive letters from Drew regarding his reasoning, the backdrop turns into an indigo color; similar to the previous scenes, the darkness of the indigo highlights the melancholic tone of the scene and songs. After the reading of the letters, Morgan begins a second solo discussing the loss of the friendship and how she had to learn to live without him; this is furthered by the lyrics, specifically when Morgan sings “I get to watch them all take my place.” Accompanied with the indigo backdrop, the utter loss that this character feels during this scene is made more prevalent and allows the audience to become more immersed in the emotions of the musical.

At the finale of the musical, Juliet delivers letters to each of the women in which she reassures them that they were not at fault and that they will become stronger because of this. Throughout this scene and subsequent song and monologues, the backdrop is a pure purple (Davies). In Kaya’s and Epps’ research, the color purple was researched but was not highly commented upon; meaning, they claim the participants stated that purple either was positively associated with children or was negatively associated simply because it was not a favorable color (Kaya and Epps). However, in the research conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, because purple is a more saturated, darker color, the sadness of the scene will be highlighted (Palmer et al.). Depending on the perception of the audience, both explanations might be applicable depending on the context of the scene. While the scene begins with a sorrowful undertone, as the women read the letters from Juliet they slowly gain confidence and acknowledge their own strength and independence. Thus, sadness from the purple backdrop can be felt in the beginning, building up to a hopeful tone—which would lead to laughing and happiness—, implying  that the purple backdrop can have a positive implication.

I briefly wanted to touch upon the role of infidelity in both Almost, Maine and Dear Juliet, specifically the heartbreak that it created. As stated by Victoria Thornton and Alexander Nagurney at Texas State University, “Infidelity has been defined in a multitude of ways and comprises a number of activities, including ‘having an affair, extramarital relationship, cheating, sexual intercourse, oral sex, kissing, fondling, emotional connections that are beyond friendships, friendships, internet relationships, and pornography use, among others, and has been defined as involvement in romantic relationships outside of one’s active committed relationship which result in a sense of relational betrayal (Thornton and Nagurney).’” While infidelity is blatantly seen in Dear Juliet with Drew cheating on all four women, the infidelity of Almost, Maine is hidden and is a somewhat abnormal variation. Although neither party commits an obvious, physical relationship with one outside of the marriage, both Marci and Phil have created emotional connections with other parties; meaning, Marci has made her children her priority and Phil has made his work his priority, leading both parties to ignore the other and to begin to feel the same betrayal and separation that is seen with traditional infidelity. Ultimately, this infidelity, as well as that of Dear Juliet, creates feelings of heartbreak, leading them to believe that terminating the marriage might be best. But what is heartbreak? Helen E.  Fisher, Xiaomeng Xu, Arthur Aron, and Lucy L. Brown of varying institutes argue that heartbreak is akin to drug withdrawal; through their research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), they discovered that the feelings accompanying romantic love engage the reward pathways of the brain which possess the neurotransmitter dopamine, the “feel good” neurotransmitter. Because these pathways are also stimulated by drug use, the researchers argue that romantic love produces the same side-effects as those of drug use.

Moreover, they argue heartbreak mirrors those symptoms of drug withdrawal, including “protest, crying spells, lethargy, anxiety, insomnia, or hypersomnia, loss of appetite or binge eating, irritability, and chronic loneliness.” In their experiment, the researchers showed ten women and five men who had recently experienced a breakup—specifically they were rejected—photographs of their former  partner and of a neutral, familiar face. Using fMRI scans, participants were seen to possess feelings of despair, passion, joyous or painful memories, and assessments of their gains and losses from the breakup. Furthermore, specific regions of the brain were activated, including “the VTA associated with feelings of intense romantic love...the insular cortex and the anterior cingulate associated with physical pain and the distress associated with physical pain...and the nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal/prefrontal cortex associated with assessing one’s gains and losses, as well as craving and addiction.” Many of these brain regions have been linked to drug use and the craving that accompanies drug withdrawal. Because of the activity in these regions, heartbreak is incredibly painful and can last for a lengthy amount of time, depending on the length of the relationship and the severity of the breakup (Fisher et al.).

In relation to Dear Juliet, Abigail specifically would experience an array  of these symptoms because of her close connection to Drew; his infidelity would only increase these symptoms, prolonging her heartbreak. Moreover, Abigail would experience a unique variation of this heartbreak because of her previous mental state. As discussed above, Abigail is a somewhat fragile character, immensely insecure in all that she does; due to this, the heartbreak would intensify these feelings, forcing her into a more precarious state. Conversely, Marci in Almost, Maine is a stronger character and has been unhappy in her marriage for some amount of time. Unlike Abigail who was suddenly thrust into her situation, Marci has had time to somewhat come to terms with her situation and begin to think of solutions; thus, Marci would not experience the same level or type of heartbreak that Abigail would. This is especially due to the nature of Marci’s relationship with her partner and the amount of time spent with him as well as her mental strength and resilience.

Regarding both of my roles in Almost, Maine and Dear Juliet, the aspects of color perception and color psychology play significant roles in how the characters are perceived and how the message of the works is relayed. Specifically, both women in these works experience heartbreak and are confronted with situations that might have never entered their minds before; however, Abigail manages to find the hope in her situation, resolving to have more self-confidence and independence, while Marci must face myriad problems in the future, whether that be divorce, custody of her children, or attempting to repair her relationship with her husband. While the color of the lights, backdrops, etc. highlights these emotions, they perform different objectives in the sense of the message of the work. As John Cariani, the playwright behind Almost, Maine, wrote: the people of Almost, Maine are experiencing real and raw variations of love in which not all endings are happy. Cariani wished for these stories to remain simplistic in nature with simple stage lights to accentuate the scene yet not overwhelm it; conversely, Dear Juliet does not shy away from the use of bright and colorful lights to highlight the scene, electing to use these colors as a method to express the emotion rather than have them be background features. In a sense, Dear Juliet is almost in its own world of hope and fantasy while Almost, Maine is deeply rooted in reality, emphasizing real events and the consequences of them.

Works Cited

Cariani, John. Almost, Maine (2018). Hampton Roads Academy Upper School Performances.
https://www.hra.org/news-detail?pk=970634.

Davies, Cassondra. Dear Juliet (2018-2019). Hampton Roads Academy Senior Project.

Fisher, Helen E., et al. “Intense, Passionate, Romantic Love: A Natural Addiction? How the Fields That Investigate Romance and Substance Abuse Can Inform Each Other.” Frontiers in Psychology, 10 May 2016, doi:10.3389/fpsy.g.2016.00687.

Epps, Helen H., and Kaya, Naz. 2005. “Color-Emotion Associations: Past Experience and Personal Preference.” In AIC 2004 Color and Paints,                                    Proceedings of the Interim Meeting of the International Color Association, Porto Alegre, Brazil, 3-5 November 2004, ed. by José Luis Caivano and Hanns-Peter Struck. Porto Alegre, Brazil: Associação Brasileira da Cor, pp. 18-21.

Palmer, Stephen E., et al. “Music-Color Associations are Mediated by Emotion.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 110, 28 May 2013, doi:10.1073/pnas.1212562110.

“Stage Lighting & The Psychology of Colour - Stage Electrics.” Stage Electrics, www.stage- electrics.co.uk/education-resource/stage-lighting-the-psychology-of-colour/.

Thornton, Victoria, and Alexander Nagurney. “What is Infidelity? Perceptions Based on Biological Sex and Personality.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, 13 May 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3218781/.

“Vision: Sensory and Perceptual Processing.” Exploring Psychology, by David G. Myers and C. Nathan Dewall, Tenth ed., Worth Publishers, 2016, pp. 209-222.