Betty Hunt was born in April 1916, and was actively involved in left-wing theatre in Sheffield before the Second World War, notably the Sheffield Unity Theatre. She graduated with a BA (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Sheffield in 1978, and began work on a funded PhD on the subject of “The left theatre in England of the late 1930s with special reference to the Sheffield Theatre Club and its affiliations”, under the supervision of Professor Philip Roberts. Her background in the area provided the opportunity for her to contact others who had worked with her in the 1930s, interview them, document their memories, and gather further material, including unpublished playscripts, programmes, minutes of meetings and review.

Sadly, Betty Hunt died in March 1983 before she was able to write up her extensive work.