( CNN ) -- Maisah Sobaihi is n't just lifting the veil on the complicated love lives of Saudi Arabian women . She 's smashing down the door to their homes and inviting you in for a cup of tea . When the playwright took her one-woman show to the Edinburgh Fringe last month , she became not just the first Saudi Arabian to perform at the prestigious British arts festival , but the first to reveal a mysterious world that is n't as different from the West as you might think . Against the painted backdrop of rambling Middle Eastern streets , Sobaihi takes her audience deep inside the hidden rooms of Saudi Arabian women , playing characters grappling with questions of love , marriage and divorce . It 's a rare glimpse into an intensely private world . But since she first started performing `` Head over Heels in Saudi Arabia '' seven years ago , Sobaihi has been touched by the huge number of women telling her how much they associated with her characters -- regardless of whether they were from New York or Jeddah . `` In the beginning I was really surprised to hear that , because I was writing it in Saudi Arabia about myself and other women I knew , '' said Sobaihi . `` But I was also happy because I think at the end of the day the experiences of women are always connected somehow . And one of the objectives of the play is to create that strong dialogue for understanding . '' Saudi stereotypes . When I meet Sobaihi in the dimly lit dining room of a stately London hotel , she is as serene as the paintings on the wall , yet with the same huge , mischievous eyes which bring so much life to her characters on stage . Later when I ask her age , she politely laughs off the question -- despite appearing strikingly youthful for a woman with two sons in their 20s . Swathed in ornate fabrics and wearing a simple headscarf , the elegant academic with American accent is anything but the stereotypical image of the hidden Arab woman . `` Saudi Arabia is mysterious to the West because we are very private culture , '' she said . `` And I think it 's our responsibility to tell other women outside our world about our experiences , to break this mystery . '' A laughing matter ? For Sobaihi , the best way to crack open this unknown world is with laughter , using a wry playfulness on stage to explore the most intimate of relationships . In a nation where men can have more than one wife , one character deals with the prospect of her husband taking a second partner , by attempting to dig up dirt on her . Meanwhile , another character turns her back on the traditional notion of love , and a `` Saudi prince galloping in on his horse . '' `` I prefer to take serious things and deal with them in a light-hearted way , '' said Sobaihi . `` I 've had feedback from people who say it 's enlightening . They do n't know so much about Arab women in general -- and less so Saudi Arabian women . So it is an eye-opener . '' `` But we can not deny that we are a conservative culture and we are very sensitive to issues that could be viewed as ... unconventional , so we tread carefully . '' Conservative Culture . Born in Saudi Arabia , Sobaihi spent much of her childhood in California , before studying for a doctorate in English literature at the University of London . Today she is an assistant professor at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah . But the deeply conservative kingdom is n't always an easy place for a divorced mother-of-two such as Sobaihi . This is a nation where women are banned from driving , and where male guardians grant permission for everything from traveling to opening a bank account . In the 2012 Global Gender Gap Report , Saudi Arabia was ranked fifth worst for equality of the 135 countries rated . However some reforms are on the way , with women allowed to enter parliament earlier this year , and set to get the vote in 2015 . Female director Haifaa Al Mansour -- whose film `` Wadjda '' is the country 's first nomination at the 2014 Oscars -- is one of an increasing number of `` firsts '' for women in recent years . `` When I was living as a divorcee there it was still hard , '' said Sobaihi . `` You have to deal with what society might think and because men are allowed more than one wife , women might fear you too . `` There is that perception that it is better to be married . But that is less and less now for younger women . There are many who chose to go on scholarships provided by the government -- I think in the U.S. we have 80,000 students studying . '' When asked about the significance of her appearance at Edinburgh , Sobaihi remains modest , smiling broadly as she turns the question on me . `` On a personal level I 'm lucky to be the first , '' she says . `` But I do n't think I 'll be the last . ''
First Saudi Arabian play performed at Edinburgh Fringe Festival . Play ` ` Head Over Heels '' gives insight into personal lives of Saudi Arabian women . The academic and divorced mother - of - two comes from deeply conservative country . Aims to lift the lid on ` ` mysterious world '' and promote understanding between women .