A host of celebrities have been brought in to help secure the future of the Unicorn Theatre in London.

The theatre, currently under construction, is in danger of missing its opening deadline of autumn 2005 if it fails to raise the final £1.6m of a funding target funding target of £12.6m.

Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton are two of a number of actors lending a hand to launch the appeal, which includes funding initiatives such as ‘name a seat’ – where members of public can have a seat in the auditorium named in their honour for £1,000.

Tony Graham, Unicorn’s artistic director, said: “The appeal enables people from all walks of life to help create a building which will benefit the lives of all the UK’s children for generations to come.

“Their family and friends will be able to see how they helped build the Unicorn and benefited the lives of millions of children.”

When finished, the theatre will be the UK’s first purpose-built professional theatre for children and aims to attract 100,000 kids per year.

Facilities will include a 350-seat main auditorium, a 120-seat studio theatre, a rehearsal studio, a wide range of educational facilities and public spaces.

More than half of the funding has come from Arts Council England and other public bodies including the London Development Agency, London Borough of Southwark and Pool of London Partnership.