Last year’s The Book of Mormon stall [Bonnie Britain]

“WE’VE auctioned Marty McFly’s skateboard and trainers, the letter to Fantine that gets her sacked in Les Misérables,” says Joel Marvin.

This isn’t a typical market, but then again, we are in the West End. On Saturday thousands of fans will flock to St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, in search of their own piece of theatre history.

Stalls will be packed with custom memorabilia, as well as “consumable props – the things which are usually chucked away each night; candles, paper which gets written on, burnt or ripped up on stage”, Joel tells me.

These scraps are catnip for devoted theatre-heads; tangible fragments of the iconic shows that play out each night off Shaftesbury Avenue.

In the early 2000s, it was Joel himself who felt the infectious pull of Theatreland, taking the train from Leicester with “a suitcase and a dream”. Staying in a friend’s spare room, he “went full throttle, working front of house and box office jobs.”

“I just wanted to be part of that world. I ended up doing what so many of us in this industry do – working in a pub as well.”

It’s a well trodden path for creatives who need to make ends meet.

Joel now heads up fundraising for Acting for Others, a consortium of charities supporting theatre workers.

Events such as The West End Flea help finance grants for those in need.

Joel Marvin with the trophy for best stall [Edward Lloyd]

“It’s not just for the people in the spotlight. It’s a fund for backstage, for writers, for dancers. We’re here for anyone who has fallen on hard times; they may have a terminal illness, or an injury.

“Or it can be as simple as suddenly finding themselves out of work, and then the fridge breaks. It’s also about letting people know about which benefits they’re entitled to.”

The vast majority of theatre workers in the UK are self-employed, and there’s “often the issue of pride. A lot of us are self-starters, and think we can handle everything on our own”, says Joel.

“It’s about building that camaraderie. A lot of the people in shows don’t see each other, because they’re all working at the same time. That’s what’s so great about the Flea, there are 24 stalls from different shows, and everyone gets to let their hair down together.”

Tom Read Wilson – of Celebs Go Dating fame – will judge the best dressed stall, while fans are expected to file into the autograph area, hoping for a chat with Bonnie Langford, Luke Bayer or Simon Lipkin.

“All of a sudden a celebrity will show up and offer to join in with the autographs, which is great!”

Tom Read Wilson signs autographs [Bonnie Britain]

For those thespians who like kicking a ball, there’s a penalty shoot-out with West End Church Football Club.

Or, perhaps more fittingly, Su Pollard’s running a tent for psychic readings.

I wondered whether Joel had any wisdom of his own for young creatives eyeing a career in the city.

“I would never say to anyone ‘don’t try’. If it’s your dream and passion, you have to go for it. But I also do think you always need to have a back-up, something else in your back pocket.”

Indeed, it’s been a difficult time for theatremakers. The Covid pandemic saw creatives out of work, while the cost of living continues to eat away at West End venues.

“It’s expensive to work in London, and there are fewer spaces for creatives in the city now – many of the clubs and bars I used to hang out in just don’t exist any more,” says Joel.

“Still, there are great spaces around. The Delfont room at the Prince of Wales Theatre is a really special place for me. I used to organise little Christmas cabarets there when I first got into the charity world.

“We also used to put on a garden party [for the Royal Theatrical Fund], which morphed into the Flea Market today. We took inspiration from Broadway Cares, which is a hugely successful charity market in the US.”

Its West End sister isn’t doing too badly, either. In seven years, the market has gone from raising £16,000 to last year’s record of £110,000.

This weekend, there’s signed set pieces on offer from Kinky Boots, which closed earlier this month. But for many, it’s about getting close to the stars.

Sure, you can buy merchandise at the theatre. But it’s a bit more special haggling with The Phantom himself.