The Story is Connection (SIC) is Australia’s leading international students community theatre organization. Our Artistic Director Catherine Simmonds employs her creative process ‘act in action’ to interact arts with international students to create powerful stages. At SIC, we believe stories build capacity, theatre elevates people power, and authenticity drives changes. We bring together international students from diverse cultural backgrounds. We mobilise them to connect to their own stories, to each other and to the wider community. International students who are not actors take center stage in the ‘lead role’ of their own stories. International students who never intended to inhabit such a role become the accidental activists of the issues their stories reveal. Over the past 3 years, we have produced multiple performances showing distinctive aspects of international students’ lived experiences, including mental health, LGBTIQ+, cultural diversity, employment, and accommodation. These narratives help to bridge the understanding gap between what international students need and what service providers offer.