DIARY OF A MADMAN to Arrive at American Theatre of Actors

Ilia Volok's reimagined, one-man show based on Nikolai Gogol's dark piece, "DIARY OF A MADMAN," hits the New York stage next week for a limited engagement following a critically acclaimed run in Los Angeles.

The story, which centers on the gradual decline into insanity by Poprishchin, a low-ranking civil servant who yearns to be noticed by the beautiful daughter of a senior official, is more than just about unrequited love. "DIARY OF A MADMAN" is a high energy night of theatre that also delves into class wars and an everyman's quest for individuality in an indifferent urban city. In the play, Poprishchin's diary records his gradual slide into insanity, in a raw and honest performance that won the play an LA Theatre Weekly Awards, "Best Solo Performance."

Directed by acclaimed Russian actor/director, Eugene Lazarev, the play was described as "A fevered and fascinating one-man turn... Remarkable!" by LA Weekly. A star turn by Ilia Volok, a graduate of Moscow Art Theatre School and Lifetime Member of The Actors Studio, it previews on Tuesday, October 24th and 25th at 8PM and officially opens Thursday, October 26th at The American Theatre of Actors (ATA). The limited engagement will run for 21 performances and closes on November 12th, 2017.

Mr. Volok has a long list of theatre credits and to this date appeared in over 150 films and television shows. "Nicolai Gogol is one of my favorite writers," says Mr. Volok. "His ability to show the depth and the complexity of a common,"little" person is beyond words. This masterful combination of a realism, specificity, attention to detail and a heightened reality, as well as humor and drama of it was always extremely appealing to me."

Volok brings the play to the New York stage with the hope that audiences will embrace this everyday man. He says, "The story of Poprishin- the main character in the Diary of a Madman is timeless and Universal- anywhere in the world people can relate to it. It deals with love, desire, obsession, rejection, hope and broken dreams... I hope the NYC audience (Just like the LA audience) will feel compassion for Poprishin- it would be the best reward for me as an Actor..."

For more information, visit volok-diaryofamadman.weebly.com. For tickets, go to smarttix.com. The American Theatre of Actors (Beckmann Theater) is located at 314 W 54th St, New York City 10019. Performances run October 24-November 12, 2017, playing Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 3:00 & 8:00 pm; and Sunday at 3pm.