English National Opera has launched a new scheme targeted at young people and novice opera-goers which encourages people to dress informally at performances.

Undress for the Opera was launched yesterday at London Coliseum where it was revealed that best seats in the house will cost £25 at the four performances included in the scheme.

Don Giovanni will begin the programme on November 15, followed by La Traviata on February 7, 2013, Sunken Garden on April 18, 2013 and The Perfect American on June 13, 2013.

Audiences will be encouraged to wear casual outfits including jeans and trainers and there will be nightclub-style bars serving beer and cocktails.

John Berry, artistic director of ENO, said: “There are lots of people who are put off by the way opera is presented – they think it is too stuffy, too posh, too expensive. Undress for the Opera, the scheme we are launching today, is a fun title for a subject we are very serious about. We want to change the perception that ‘opera is not for me’.”