Theatre designers and artists donate works to Gaza baby formula charity auction

More than 150 theatre creatives and artists are donating original works to the second Stage Designers and Artists Auction for Gaza, raising funds for Gaza Formula Fund.

The auction will feature work associated with productions including Billy Elliot, Oliver!, The Hunger Games, Cyrano de Bergerac, Titanique, Hamlet: Hail to the Thief, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Game of Thrones: The Mad King and Lily Allen’s West End Girl. Artists, photographers and ceramicists have joined the auction this year.

Contributors include Christine Jones, Rufus Norris, Tim Hatley, Lesa Amoore, Rae Smith, Ian MacNeil, Grace Smart, John Keane, Rosanna Vize, Jasleen Kaur, Anthony Ward, Miriam Buether, Mark Thompson, Vicki Mortimer, Anna Fleischle and Lez Brotherston. Donated items include artwork, costume designs, photography, prints, sketches, puppets, props and ceramics, with each piece signed by its creator.

The auction launches at the Bush Theatre on 26 October, followed by an online auction hosted by GalaBid, running until 9 November. All proceeds will support Gaza Formula Fund’s work supplying infant formula, nappies, clean water, food and other essentials to babies, children and families in Gaza.

Founded in 2025 by London-based stage designer Georgia Lowe and Gaza-based father Izziddeen, Gaza Formula Fund provides emergency supplies to families affected by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The fund operates as a project of Small Steps Project, a UK-registered charity, which will administer the money raised and support the fund’s aid distributions.

Izziddeen said: “Borders and vast distances separate us, but shared feelings and humanitarian motives unite us. This auction is a remarkable act of solidarity for the children of Gaza, who desperately need food and the most basic necessities.”

Last year’s inaugural auction raised more than £32,000. The fund has also distributed more than 9,000 tins of formula milk and 150,000 nappies, and has raised more than £500,000.

Lowe said: “I am deeply moved and proud of the theatre and arts community for coming together for a second year, united in solidarity and generosity to provide for Gaza’s youngest and most vulnerable. The talent represented in this auction is astounding and I look forward to giving the public access to a huge variety of unique works that are rarely accessible to them.”

The Stage Designers and Artists Auction for Gaza opens at the Bush Theatre on 26 October, with the online auction running until 9 November 2026.