FIVE MODELS IN RUINS, 1981

by Caitlin Saylor Stephens

A new play by Caitlin Saylor Stephens
Directed by Morgan Green

Claire Tow Theater, LCT3

Lincoln Center, NYC- June 2025

Featuring: Elizabeth Marvel, Stella Everett, Maia Novi, Britne Oldford, Sarah Marie Rodriguez, and Madeline Wise

Scenic design- Afsoon Pajoufar

Costume design- Vasilija Zivanic

Lighting design- Cha See

Sound designer Kathy Ruvuna

photo credit: Marc Franklin

“Director Morgan Green stages a visually arresting production on Afsoon Pajoufar’s crumbling palace of a set, featuring peeling wallpaper and a chandelier crashed to the floor. It all looks like an editorial photoshoot…”

-Zachary Stewart, TheaterMania

Roberta (Elizabeth Marvel), a visionary fashion photographer, lands the gig of a lifetime - the cover of Vogue - but quickly learns it could be her downfall. Location is a nightmare. The models are vicious. Hair and makeup is MIA. And the cigarette supply is running dangerously low. As chaos escalates, Roberta must summon her strength and find the perfect light to capture a moment of beauty in a brutal world.

Set against the backdrop of a crumbling European estate in the aftermath of Princess Diana’s wedding, Five Models in Ruins, 1981 is a darkly comedic exploration of a woman grappling with the power of her own gaze.