The Way of the Family: An illustrated stage play (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781466364592)

Omar Bakry was born in Falkoping, Sweden in 1976 where he lived for most of his childhood. Omar drew his first painting at the age of four years old and in high school his artwork was published in the UN's 50th Anniversary celebration book, A world in our hands. His obvious talents and skills landed him in the sought-after Cairo Faculty of Fine Arts where he continued to excel in his studies until his graduation in 2001. Since then Omar has participated in numerous exhibitions around the world. In 1998 Omar began writing The Way of the Family as a novel, inspired by his multicultural experiences and a growing fascination with the essence of cultural conflicts. However, over the following seven years Omar struggled with personal issues that climaxed with a full-fledged heroin addiction and, thus, the novel was shelved. By 2005 Omar managed to pick-up himself proving triumphant over his demons. Reinvigorated, he dug out the old novel and developed it into a stage play. In 2008 he produced and directed the play in the American University in Cairo theatre. The Way of the Family was met with lots of enthusiasm despite its controversial philosophical and sexual content. In twist of fate, Omar met his soon to be wife who was cast as one of the characters. In 2009 the young couple moved to New York where Omar landed a job as an assistant curator in a high end gallery in Brooklyn and shot "The Way of the Family" as a short film. It was only when Omar met up with Marwan El Nashar a renowned Egyptian comic book writer that the play took a leap forward to this current format. Marwan being familiar with Omar's art and upon reading the play insisted to merge both mediums to produce The Way of the Family; the illustrated stage play. This overlapping of mediums is an interesting blend of visual, literal arts and performing arts, whereby, the artwork compliments the play enhancing the overall experience.