'Youm An Katalo el Gen’a 'cast celebrates first anniversary

CAIRO – 1 April 2018: The cast of “Youm An Katalo el Gen’a” (The Day They Killed Singing) celebrated the first anniversary of the play in Talea Theatre on Friday.

Throughout this year “Youm An Katalo el Gen’a” managed to achieve booming success. The play presents the struggle of two brothers in their quest for the cause of existence, and mystery of the universe. It examines the conflict between the spirit of tolerance and love on the one hand, with fanaticism and hatred on the other hand.

The show was composed by Mahmoud Gamal, and is directed by Tamer Karam. It stars Alaa Quqa, Yasser Sadek, Hamada Shousha, Tarek Sabri, Mohamed Nasser and Hind Abdel Halim. “The Day They Killed Singing” opened on March 30, 2017, and was awarded the first-place prize at the 10th edition of the National Festival of Egyptian Theatre.

Prominent theatrical critics such as Azza Heikal, Ahmed Khamis, Yasmine Farrag and Rana Abdel Kawy chose “Youm An Katalo el Gen’a” play to be among the best four plays in 2017. The other three plays that were recognised by critics are “Salem Nafsak” (Surrender), “Kawaeed el Eshk el Arboon” (The 40 Rules of Love) and “Al Galsa: Shoghl Afareet” (The Session: Deeds of Imps).

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi invited Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman to watch the play “Salem Nafsak” (Surrender) during his three-day-visit to Egypt, in order to highlight new Egyptian talents. Sisi and bin Salman watched “Salem Nafsak” and strongly applauded the play, showing their great appreciation for the artists and the director.
At the end of the show, President Sisi stated that the scene that depicted the noble mission of defending Egypt deeply affected him, expressing his thanks to all the actors and the director.

“Salem Nafsak”, a play directed by Khaled Galal and staged by the students of the Actor’s Studio, is an opportunity to discover new talents among Egyptian youth. The play has been presented 115 times in a row since its first show in October 2017.
The two-hour-play focuses on negative features in the Egyptian community during the recent period. This includes violence against women, terrorist acts under false religious slogans, consumption patterns of households, negative effects of social media, and insincere love relations.

These features have been reflected in 13 condensed scenes in the form of sarcasm, mixed with music and dance, giving its actors the chance to showcase their skills.