'We can't go to the theatre that often and I think seats should be £12.50 all the time'

Lawrence Joels, 12, was adamant. "This is much better than the cinema,'' he said. But the cost of tickets meant that the Lister Experiment gave his whole family a rare opportunity yesterday for a relatively cheap night out at a London theatre.

Lawrence, whose mother Lesley, 53, and grandmother Iris, 76, were among the earlier arrivals yesterday at London's Cambridge Theatre for the matinee performance of Our House.

"We like going to the theatre but we can't go as often as we'd like," said Mrs Joels, from Beckenham, Kent. "Being a single parent, it's difficult as seats can cost £40. This way all three of us can go for £37.50. I think seats should be £12.50 all the time and they should be doing more matinees for the tourists," she said.

As office workers left for home last night the shops surrounding the theatre were doing brisk business. Many others with tinsel in their hair and wearing bizarre costumes were obviously off to their Christmas parties. However, there was a late rush to the theatre with queues as the theatregoers went to pick up their tickets.

Yesterday evening's audience appeared to be a good mix of both families, old and young theatregoers, suggesting an early success for the Lister Experiment. Nicola Williams, 31, an IT technician from East Grinstead, turned up for yesterday's performance after hearing about the Lister Experiment on television. She paid £44 for her two tickets.

"I like going normally but I like the expensive seats. When you're paying £50 for a show it's a lot of money," she said. "Unless you get deals, those who go are generally people of higher incomes."

James Hodges, 27, a media lecturer, said that theatres should aim to drive prices down to the levels of cinema tickets. "If they play to full houses they could,'' he said. "I go occasionally but it's expensive normally. I wanted to go and see A Play What I Wrote but I had to shell out £30."

Andie O'Leary, 25, a web designer from Reading, said she would go more often if there were cut-price tickets. "If the prices were low you would probably see more groups of teenagers. Now it's only couples and families."

Katy Randles, 24, a student from Surbiton, said her financial circumstances meant that she always looked out for discounted tickets. She welcomed any measures that would bring young people into the theatres. "I'm sure that's one reason why they are trying to bring in all the stars. They are trying to Hollywoodise the theatre."

Another student, Pete Hadfield, 24, who is doing a conservation MSC at University College London, said the cut-price tickets were likely to encourage more people to come.