Their first theatrical production was I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to me by a Young Lady From Rwanda (2003), which opened at the Finborough Theatre in London and has since been performed across Europe and the United States of America.
The original network was formed in Melbourne, Australia, in September 2001, in the wake of a series of aggressive and controversial actions by the Australian government towards asylum seekers arriving by boat.
Founding members Alice Garner and Kate Atkinson wanted to use Australian actors to influence community attitudes toward refugees and asylum seekers and to encourage a humanitarian response to their plight.
Because of the simplicity and documentary nature of the scripts, the performances do not need lengthy rehearsal or direction and are simply read out by a constantly changing cast, usually accompanied by a live score.
Juliet Stevenson, Sinéad Cusack, Simon Callow,[6] Dan Stevens (The Line of Beauty), Hayley Atwell (Brideshead Revisited), Thusitha Jayasundera (The Bill), Shobna Gulati (Coronation Street), Shobu Kapoor (EastEnders) and Sam Spruell (London to Brighton) are amongst the professional actors that support the project.