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Arab News reported that Lana Komsany directed the production which addresses taboo subjects Saudi women encounter daily while highlighting both hardship and resilience. The narratives draw directly from actual experiences rather than fiction alone. Komsany who earned a bachelor’s degree in theater and possesses two decades of professional involvement viewed the project as a long-awaited opportunity to share multiple perspectives.
Komsany told Arab News she had worked for four years to mount the play before its debut in 2023. She explained that the final segment reflects her own decade-long abusive marriage even though another performer delivered the role. “I lived through a very abusive marriage and I’m totally okay with sharing it and I wish other people would talk about it more” Komsany stated. “It’s a process we go through. I’m not condemning anybody who doesn’t feel ready to talk about it yet.”
The director noted that voicing such accounts helps dissolve associated shame and that Saudi women confront the same challenges found in other societies. Performances featured stories collected from various women rather than centering solely on her background. Komsany described herself first as Saudi when asked by the publication underscoring how the material ties to her personal and national identity.
A report issued by the General Authority for Statistics placed the number of female playwrights in Saudi Arabia at 100 with seven female directors and 15 female critics active in the field. These figures reflect expanded participation by women in theater since the 1970s when initial school and university productions appeared. The first official all-women theater under the Culture and Arts Association in Jeddah opened in 2017 according to the same statistical overview.
The Saudi Theater and Performing Arts Authority on October 3 2026 unveiled a comprehensive strategy to advance the sector in alignment with Vision 2030 objectives. In an announcement the authority outlined plans to train 25,000 teachers as theater activity supervisors in public schools over three years while building new venues through partnerships. Sultan Al-Bazei the authority’s chief executive emphasized collaboration with all stakeholders to foster a professional Saudi theater industry that inspires audiences.
Komsany has contributed to this evolution by operating her I Stage studio and supervising theater programs at the Visual Arts Club in Jeddah as well as Aramco knowledge-enrichment initiatives. Her earlier work during the 2019 Jeddah City Summer Season further established her profile. The production of “I Am Woman” adds to a growing catalog of works that employ local talent to present contemporary Saudi stories on stage.
