National Theatre confirms use of dynamic pricing to maintain cheaper tickets

Meanwhile, higher prices are subject to change, with the Telegraph reporting an audience member being quoted £162 for two tickets to Les Liaisons Dangereuses starring Lesley Manville and Aidan Turner, only to be soon after quoted £220 for "almost identical" seats. 

Dynamic pricing – when ticket prices shift according to demand – is a common practice across UK theatres, with Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre deeming the practice vital for the survival of numerous not-for-profit venues.

But it has attracted vehement criticism from the likes of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Mark Strong, and has driven ticket prices to new heights. The Royal Ballet and Opera’s dynamic pricing pushed tickets for Siegfried to as high as £425 – reportedly the most expensive ticket to have been offered by any subsidised performing arts organisation in Britain. 

Last December, the National Theatre highlighted dynamic pricing as one of the most exciting areas for future investment in theatre in a piece of research, suggesting the practice could help "reach diverse audiences and reduce costs".

Now, the theatre has confirmed it adjusts prices – but declined to say precisely when it began doing this. 

“At the National Theatre, we are committed to keeping our work affordable and accessible to everyone – 25% of tickets are £30 or under on the South Bank this year," a spokesperson for the theatre said. 

“In common with many performing arts organisations, the National Theatre does occasionally adjust prices as this supports our ability to offer a large quantity of accessibly priced tickets at £30 or under. We don’t increase the price or the proportion of our lowest-priced tickets, and we never exceed our advertised top price.”

The spokesperson also defended the NT’s £4 booking fee, declaring it was “in line with many other publicly subsidised arts venues” and said some groups such as students were exempt from the charge.