M²
Inspired by the writings and lives of Vladimir Mayakovsky and Tommaso Marinetti

Theatre Novi Most presents the remount of M², an original performance about the beginnings of the Futurist movement at The Open Eye Figure Theatre, May 14 – 23, 2010.

M² begins when the life of Russian poet and playwright Vladimir Mayakovsky ends: his suicide in
1930. From there, a non-linear narrative flashbacks through his relationships with Lili Brik, his lifelong lover, and
with Filippo Marinetti, author of the Futurist Manifesto: the aesthetic principles of the early 20th century art
movement which scorned the romanticism of classical art and embraced the new industrial culture of massproduction
and machinery. As the movement grows wildly extreme and Russia slowly concedes to Soviet tyranny, Mayakovsky discovers his passion to live the Futurist standard cannot overcome certain political realities.

With his love life directly at odds with his ideologies, his professional life betrayed by the very people who helped
build it, and his country scrutinizing his every move, Mayakovsky finally arrives at his final, tragic resolution.
Through an unforeseen scientific breakthrough, however, these historical characters are given the chance to meet
after death, look back on their lives, and finish unfinished arguments. M 2: Mayakovsky & Marinetti is an original
script, based on actual historical texts from Mayakovsky and Marinetti, and will feature live music and multimedia.

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Lisa Channer (Director) earned her M.F.A. in Directing from the Yale School of Drama. Her work has been seen
at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre and WOW Café (New York), Organic Lab Theatre (Chicago), Yale Repertory
Theatre, and the Market Theatre (Boston). Her work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts,
the New England Foundation for the Arts, and the Fund for Women Artists. She is currently on the faculty of the
University of Minnesota?s Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.

Vladimir Rovinsky (Co-Director and playing Mayakovsky) graduated with an M.F.A. in Directing from St.
Petersburg Academy of Theatre Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he also co-founded Studio WE. Acting and
directing credits include Tugenyev Drama Theatre (Russia) , Alexandrinsky Theatre (Russia), and Skewed Visions Theatre (America). He has taught across the U.S., including Yale School of Drama.

David Steinman (Multimedia Designer) is an interdisciplinary artist working in performance, video-projection,
music, interactive software, and martial arts. He is a member of the group Minneapolis Art on Wheels (MAW),
creating large scale urban projections of light and sound using mobile technologies. Recently, David created and
directed a performance at the Artists in Residence at 1419 titled curious connections, in which he shared candid
audio/video recordings and email correspondence by encountering people through Craigslist classifieds.

Robert Perry (Lighting Designer) has credits from the Goodman Theatre, LaJolla Playhouse, Chicago
Shakespeare, Dallas Theater Center, the Intiman Theatre, Hartford Stage, and the McCarter Theatre. He is also
Assistant Professor of Lighting Design at the University of Miami and Resident Lighting Designer for the Jerry
Herman Ring Theatre. He received a B.F.A. from the North Carolina School of the Arts and an M.F.A. from the
Yale School of Drama, and is a member of United Scenic Artists Local #829.

Amanda McGee (Costume Designer) is a native of Texas and graduated from Abilene Christian University with a
B.F.A. in Theatre. She most recently spent two years with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival as Assistant
Costume Designer, where her design credits included Endgame and Twelfth Night. Amanda spends her summers
in the beautiful mountains of Colorado as costume shop manager and designer for Creede Repertory Theatre.
This is her first year as an M.F.A. student at the University of Minnesota studying costume design and technology.