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'He could be any one of us'

Gogol's 'Diary of a Madman' moves into the 21st century

By Bates College

January 19^th, 2018

Descent into madness

In Nikolai Gogol’s 1835 short story “Diary of a Madman,” a low-level Russian civil servant descends into madness.

Now on stage in the Black Box Theater, a Bates adaptation of the story puts a contemporary twist on the strikingly familiar tale.

The play, adapted by Senior Lecturer in Theater Katalin Vecsey, is set in the present day — Siri replaces a servant and the main character blogs instead of journals — and the set features video walls that display the inner workings of Everyman’s mind as he loses his grip on reality.

But the story that this high-tech production helps tell — one of isolation, unrealized ambitions, unrequited love, and mental illness — is timeless.

Nate Stephenson ’18 of Ellsworth, Maine, plays Everyman as part of his honors thesis in theater. Professor of Music Bill Matthews composed original music for the play.

'He could be any one of us'

AWE, MISTRUST, AND LOVE

In the play, Stephenson plays Everyman, who works in the office of the president of an unidentified company. The character is in awe of his boss, mistrusts interns and coworkers, and is in love with the boss’ daughter. The outside examiner for Stephenson’s thesis will be Dassia Posner ’94, a Northwestern professor and expert in Russia theater.

'He could be any one of us'

'He could be any one of us'

'He could be any one of us'

'He could be any one of us'

'He could be any one of us'

Back by popular demand

First performed in November 2017, Stephenson will reprise his role as Everyman on Friday, Jan. 26 at 4:30 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. in Gannett Theater.

it takes a village

The Everyman believes he can learn more about the boss’ daughter by intercepting emails written by one dog to another. Though Stephenson is the only onstage actor, Professor of Economics Michael Murray, Amanda Sobotka ’19, Ben Roop ’18, and Maddy Clark ’20 have voice roles.

With his work, personal life, and love interest going nowhere, the Everyman comes to believe he is the King of Spain.

'He could be any one of us'

'He could be any one of us'

'He could be any one of us'

out of his mind

As part of the short story’s translation to the stage and the modern world — a carriage becomes a limousine, a housekeeper becomes Siri, the main character blogs instead of journals — the set inlcudes walls of monitors that display the Everyman’s mind. The monitors and software were funded by Bates’ Information & Library Services and designed by Senior Lecturer in Theater Michael Reidy.

The Everyman ends up being committed, believing he is watched over by the Grand Inquisitor of Spain. Last summer, Stephenson received a Phillips Student Fellowship to study theater in Moscow.

'He could be any one of us'

'He could be any one of us'

'He could be any one of us'

competition-bound

Diary of a Madman was entered into the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, whose judges chose to advance the production to the regional quarterfinals in January 2018.

'He could be any one of us'

Footnotes

Produced by the Bates Communications Office with photography by Phyllis Graber Jensen

FootNotes

Produced by the Bates Communications Office with photography by Phyllis Graber Jensen

© 2026 Bates College

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