Ilia Volok Returns To NYC With His One-Man Show DIARY OF A MADMAN
Performances run October 10–12 at the American Theatre of Actors.
By: A.A. Cristi Oct. 03, 2025
TV and film star Ilia Volok will return to New York with his critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning solo production Diary of a Madman. Based on Nikolai Gogol’s classic story, this gripping one-man show will be performed at the American Theatre of Actors for a limited run from October 10–12, 2025.
In Diary of a Madman, Volok brings to life Poprishchin, a lowly clerk whose unrequited love for his employer’s daughter spirals from desire into obsession and madness. The story charts his haunting descent as he convinces himself he is the King of Spain, ultimately landing in an asylum. With a performance that has been praised worldwide for its depth and intensity, Volok explores the thin line between dreams and delusions and the loneliness they create.
The production has been performed internationally to great acclaim, including engagements at Dubai’s Junction Theater, Paris’ Théâtre de la Huchette, London’s Brunel and Sands Studio Performance spaces, Zurich’s Kaufleuten, and Ukraine’s Suzirya Theater & Stage 6 and Odessa Independent Theater. American audiences have also praised the show across the West Coast and New York, where Volok first premiered the work.
Currently in New York filming a television series, Volok has chosen to reprise his magnum opus at the American Theatre of Actors, one of the last great theatres of the Off-Off Broadway movement.
Performances will take place on Friday, October 10 at 8:00 PM; Saturday, October 11 at 8:00 PM; and Sunday, October 12 at 3:00 PM. Tickets are available through the American Theatre of Actors.
Founded in 1976 by James Jennings, the American Theatre of Actors has long championed the development of playwrights, directors, and actors. More than 12,000 performers have appeared on its stages, including Dennis Quaid, Bruce Willis, Chazz Palminteri, and Edie Falco. The theatre continues to cultivate new voices while also spotlighting women in theatre through its WIT! (Women in Theatre) program.
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