Student Blog: Victoria Fragnito's SCAR TISSUE is a Simple Yet Powerful Play

"I can't look at myself without seeing that f-ing scar" - Jess

Scar Tissue is a play that revolves around two roommates, Jessica (playwright Victoria Fragnito) and Sam (Rita McCann), each going through their own struggles in dealing with toxic relationships from their pasts. Jessica is attempting to break free from the memories of a man she dated in college, Luke (Nick Ritacco), a man who haunts her current relationship with Jack (Brandon Ford Green). Sam, on the other hand, is struggling with her relationship with her sister, Hannah (Jillian Vitko), who abandoned her in a time of need. When both women have to face their pasts head-on, truths are revealed and realities are shattered, threatening the relationship between the two roommates.

The theatre itself (located on the third floor of The Players Theatre) is a nice fit for the play itself, both intimate and slightly claustrophobic. The preshow music immediately puts one at ease, giving the audience the impression that they have been welcomed into Jessica and Sam's apartment instead of encroaching on their private lives. The play's music, composed by Kristin Sgarro, gives emotion to transitions between scenes, allowing audience members to reflect on what they just witnessed while preparing them for what is to come. Sgarro's music reflects the preshow soundtrack with its calm yet hopeful themes, which keep audiences from falling into pits of despair on the heartbreaking topics discussed in the play.

The relationship between Jessica and Sam felt truly realistic - I could imagine myself getting drunk with my roommates in a similar fashion, or even getting into similar arguments over the cleanliness of the apartment. The character themselves felt incredibly relatable as well, each of them having their own flaws while struggling to survive in New York City. Sam, in particular, felt as though someone had taken the most extremes of my personality and put them into a character - I may start using "a pitbull in yoga pants" to describe myself!

Flashbacks are beautifully done with a blue light illuminating the "memory," as characters interact with both the past and present and the same time. Lighting Designer, Alyssandra Docherty, does a wonderful job of using lighting to give the audience the idea of where in time the story is, using blue and red to represent different moments in time from the present. I found myself connecting with Jessica and Sam as they literally confronted their past while telling stories to each other, feeling as if they are pulled back into the flashback while still being tethered to the present by each other.

One aspect of the play that did not work for me was the portrayal of Luke (Nick Ritacco), who at many times felt like a one-dimensional character instead of a complicated man who had committed a terrible act in the past. In comparison to Jack, a character that I felt compassion and empathy for, I never felt any form of connection to Luke, never truly understanding why Jessica fell in love with him in the first place.

Ultimately, even with some small flaws, Scar Tissue is a simple, powerful, and realistic interpretation of life and the trauma that follows us. In her note in the Playbill, Director Jenn Susi states that "Scar Tissue is a story to resurrect this hope and be a vehicle for change and healing" and I could not agree more.

Scar Tissue ran from January 13th to January 30, 2022, with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. For more information, please visit scartissuetheplay.com