The Art of Colour Syncronization in Stage Designs:The Example of Victor Eze’s “Wailing Grave Dance Production

Abstract

Generally, the concept of colour has been acknowledged by various scholars, scientists and artists as a universal phenomenon with multifarious functions in diverse fields of human endeavours which include Sciences, Arts, Humanities, Engineering and Medicine among others. In the light of this observation, this paper explores the principles and functional values of colour within the Arts with special focus on theatre practice. It employs descriptive, analytical, and participant observant methods to examine how the theory of colour is synchronized into art of stage design by theatre designers or theatre technicians by using Victor Eze's "Wailing Grave" dance production as a paradigm. The findings reveal that colour is creatively harnessed as communicative and expressive art by theatre designers to effectively reveal the theme of the performance to the audience. This is achieved by using elements of design such as costume, make-up lighting, properties and scenic design to facilitate and project dramatic actions, influence the mood of the production, and create the necessary aesthetic and psychological effects necessary for the successful realization of a production. The paper therefore concludes that for effective synchronization of colour in the stage design of any theatrical production a deep understanding of the workings of colour theory is necessary for theatre designers at the level of theory and practice in order to transmit an artistically and aesthetically pleasing production to the audience.