They were all affiliated with the Communist Party, and the plays were in the agitprop style of theatre favoured by the Soviet Union.

[1] Themes explored in the productions were mostly related to exploitation of the working class, sexism, racism in Australia, and against war.

Its aims were reported as "to give the worker an opportunity of intellectual and cultural development free from financial embarrassment", presenting the arts in its diverse forms: "music, drawing, painting, literature, drama and craftsmanship, embracing practically every profession and trade in the community".

Both theatres[9] staged first Clifford Odets' play Waiting for Lefty,[9] with the purpose of raising money for strikers,[10] to great acclaim.

[11][12] In the late 1950s, the theatre co-hosted the Mary Gilmore Award for the best new full-length play, along with the May Day Committees of Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle.

[13] As the Workers' Art Club and New Theatre League, performances were staged at 36 Pitt Street from 1932 to 1943.