Zoe Wanamaker in His Girl Friday, one of the £10 ticket productions

The Sunday Telegraph reported directors at its Olivier Theatre were asked to stage productions for £10,000 - one tenth of their normal budget.

The cuts were supposedly due to a low cost pricing structure for seats, introduced by director Nicholas Hytner.

But a National Theatre spokesperson said the costs of the scheme were being met by sponsorship.

The cut-price ticket scheme was introduced to attract a wider range of people to the largest of the National Theatre's three South Bank auditoriums.

The theatre said £1m in sponsorship from Travelex would cover the cost of the scheme, which will run from May to November for three years.

Minimal

Nevertheless a "very different design ascetic" was being applied to the season, which has included productions such as Henry V starring Kenneth Branagh and His Girl Friday starring Zoe Wanamaker.

"It encourages bold, imaginative staging," the National Theatre spokesperson said. "It has been more minimal, creating a space where metaphor flies."

Nicholas Hytner became the National Theatre's director in April

The simplicity of the sets also enables them to be quickly assembled and removed, she added.

Compared with London theatre ticket prices of up to £35, the £10 ticket season has been hailed a success, credited with making the Olivier Theatre 90% full for many performances.

The four plays in the current season each have a production budget of "around £60,000", the National Theatre said.

They will be followed by a lavish adaptation of His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.