Eric Irvin was born in 1908 in Sydney. He worked as a freelance journalist after he left school, and served in the AIF between 1940 and 1945. Irvin was sub-editor for the Sydney Morning Herald from 1962-1973. He wrote books, on 19th and 20th century Australian theatre, as well as many articles and poems. Irvin's interest lay in the actors' lives, the production mechanics and architecture of the theatres. Irvin moved to Brisbane in 1989 and received a HonDLitt from the University of Queensland for services to Australian theatre in the same year.

Arlene Maude Sykes (1928 - 1990), was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of English at the University of Queensland and the founding Principal Advisory Editor of Australasian Drama Studies. In the 1950s she commenced work at the ABC on Australian theatre. She was a scholar, critic and teacher of Australian drama and literature and the author of numerous critical studies. She edited several volumes of playtexts by Australian writers, including those of her colleague Eunice Hanger. She was Principal Investigator for the Australian Drama Bibliography Project. Her list of Australian Drama Productions 1950 to 1969 was published by the Fryer Library in 1984.