A cult comedy troupe is looking to replace the huge props selection it lost in a fire nine months ago via a special fundraising performance.

The Treason Show will host a special fundraiser on Saturday in a bid to replenish the dressing-up box which was destroyed in a garage fire last summer.

And as is customary with the long-running show, the Treason Show team have an unusual take on a fundraiser. They have come up with a Russian Roulette Raffle, where an unlucky winner will receive a lap dance from founder Mark Brailsford.

Participants will also have the chance to sponsor the show’s stage manager Katy Matthews, who has volunteered to have a tattoo with the company’s slogan “thumbs up, black out”.

Other raffle prizes up for grabs include afternoon tea at the Thistle Hotel, champagne and a prize donated by Sussex County Cricket Club.

Supporters are also being encouraged to root around in their attics and cupboards under the stairs for any unwanted items which could make suitable props.

The event is the latest in a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the show, which has found a new permanent home at the Rialto Theatre in Dyke Road after more than five years of searching and several dead ends.

Things were looking much less cheery in June last year.

A massive fire at Mr Brailsford’s parents’ home in Lancing destroyed the comedy group’s collection of props, which had been built up over 15 years and was worth thousands of pounds.

Mr Brailsford said: “The fire is one of those things that really knocks you down but you have to just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again as the song goes.

“We have been making do, borrowing a lot on the credit card to get it done and we have had some donations.

“Someone gave us £100 and then I was at the cricket one day and somebody said they heard what happened and gave me £20, which was lovely. We love the Rialto Theatre but not everybody knows where we are so it’s about getting that information out there.

“It was 32 boxes of stuff that we lost and there’s some things where we are not sure how we would go about replacing but it’s also lots of weird and wonderful things that all add up.

“I’ve actually been leaving some material out of the shows at the moment because we don’t have the props to make it work.”

To buy tickets for Saturday’s gig, priced at £12.50, visit rialtotheatre.co.uk or call 01273 725230.

To sponsor the tattoo, visit crowdfunder.co.uk/treason-prop-store-fundraiser with pledges over £20 earning a free ticket to a matinee performance of the new musical Sin and Salvation.