Premiered in Riga in 2024, visionary director Dmitry Krymov’s independent production, Diary of Madmen, serves as a poignant ode to theater as both an escape and salvation from a collapsing world. This deeply personal work pairs two acclaimed powerhouses of the stage, Chulpan Khamatova and Maksim Sukhanov, who portray artists confronting the sudden loss of their familiar lives and the fracturing meaning of their craft. Even as madness and despair close in, Krymov insists on the power of creative resistance. Through a delicate balance of laughter, love, and tragedy, the performance ultimately highlights art as humanity's final refuge for inner freedom. (Presented in Russian w/ English subtitles)