Nottingham Playhouse raised more than £10,000 through a gala performance of its production The Madness of George III and a 70th birthday auction.
The theatre is trying to raise a total of £25,000 over the next 12 months to support the continuation of its charity work in the local community.
At the auction, a hand-painted, James Gillray-inspired satirical cartoon self-portrait by Mark Gatiss, depicting him as King George III, secured £2,450 in an online auction.
Another patron bid £500 for afternoon tea with actors Gatiss, Adrian Scarborough and Debra Gillett who all appeared in Alan Bennett’s The Madness of George III. A walk-on part and four tickets to the Nottingham Playhouse pantomime generated £450.
Chief executive Stephanie Sirr said, “we’re an award-winning theatre that produces performances comparable to that of the West End and Broadway, so it’s easy to forget that we are in fact a charity.
“We’ve had an incredible year, attracting top industry talent, achieving five-star reviews and producing a National Theatre Live production. However, our ambitions to ensure that the wonder of theatre can be enjoyed by everyone in our community and to support our incredibly talented pool of theatre-makers in the East Midlands remain at the heart of what we do.
“Money raised helps us to continue providing free community youth theatre groups, enables people to go to the theatre who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity and supports the development of the next generation of Nottingham creatives including actors, directors, writers and designers through our Amplify project.”