Brook sells 'Hamlet' notes for Young Vic

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Double act brings down curtain on Almeida years

The revered theatre director Peter Brook has donated the detailed notes for his lauded production of Hamlet at London's Young Vic theatre to be auctioned to raise money for the struggling venue.

Also in the auction at a gala dinner tomorrow will be the prop used as Yorick's skull in the production, which stars Adrian Lester as Hamlet. The theatre is hoping that the notes, written on a copy of the play used by Brook during rehearsals, and the skull, combined as one lot, will fetch up to £15,000.

The whole auction is intended to raise £100,000 for the theatre's funds. Other items put up for sale include access to future rehearsals, a trip to the Oscars ceremony in America, and a walk-on part in a future film by the production company Working Title, which made Billy Elliot.

There will also be a chance to see the behind-the-scenes workings of the Young Vic by spending a week in rehearsal with its artistic director, David Lan, and the actor Jude Law as they work on a forthcoming production of Dr Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe.

Ironically, the visit of Peter Brook's Paris-based company to the Young Vic caused extra expenditure for the theatre. Mr Brook agreed to bring his production only if the outdated dressing rooms were upgraded. That has been done, but at a cost of £10,000.

The Young Vic recently failed in its bid for £6m lottery cash for urgent rebuilding work and to repair its leaking roof. The Arts Council gave it only £250,000. Mr Lan said then: "We really have a crisis – the building is falling down. It was built in 1970 as a series of breeze blocks on top of each other, a temporary structure. We have to spend £80,000 each year on repairs just to keep the building open. We had been led to believe we would get more."