Tens of thousands of theatre tickets will be given away to young people next year as part of a government campaign to foster a lifelong love of drama.

The plan to offer free seats to people aged between 18 and 26 - funded with £2.5 million of taxpayers’ money - was announced yesterday by Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary. It received a cautious welcome from some in the arts world, who expressed concern that the tickets may not reach the most underprivileged.

Louise de Winter, the director of the National Campaign for the Arts, the industry’s lobby group, said that there would be no benefit to the arts if the money were used to give regular theatregoers a freebie. She added: “The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England, who are administering the fund, must make sure that the money actually does find its way to new audiences.”

A spokesman for Mr Burnham acknowledged that anyone in the age bracket would be entitled to the tickets, saying: “It could be toffs or the children of dustmen.”

The scheme comes as West End theatres are enjoying record audiences, thanks largely to musicals teaming up with television talent shows. Attendances reached 13.6 million in 2007, up 10 per cent on 2006, itself a record year. Gross sales were up 18 per cent on 2006 to almost £470 million.

One theatre source criticised the Government’s priorities in funding free theatre tickets when pensioners were struggling to buy food and fuel, saying: “I don’t know why the Government’s frittering money on this. The Young Vic, as The Times reported today, offers excellent performances at cheap prices.”

The Young Vic, which sells tickets for £10 to those under 26, is one of several theatres that offer discounts or giveaway tickets. More than 10,000 young people received free tickets to Much Ado About Nothing at the Globe this year. David Lan, the artistic director of the Young Vic, told The Times: “What we want to encourage is lifelong habits. We’re saying, ‘Just come and do it. If you get bored, you can leave’. But we’ve got to make the work really good as well.”

There was praise for the Government’s scheme from Dominic Cooke, the artistic director of the Royal Court Theatre, who said: “I support any initiative to get young people into theatre, and especially one that aims to do it all over England, not just in London.”

The Royal Court offers heavily discounted tickets that have contributed to a rise of more than 300 per cent in the number of young people attending its productions.

Ninety-five publicly funded theatres could apply for funding under the two-year scheme. In return, they will offer free tickets on at least one day each week to 18 to 26-year-olds, first-come, first-served. It is likely to be on Mondays, traditionally a quiet night for the theatre.

The Government envisages that a million free tickets will have been offered between February 2009 and March 2011. Commercial theatres could also apply for the subsidy.

Mr Burnham said: “A young person attending the theatre can find it an exhilarating experience, and be inspired to explore new horizons. But sometimes people miss out on it because they fear it’s ‘not for them’. It’s time to change this perception.”

Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: “The real issue is not getting enthusiastic children into the theatre, but improving arts education so that more young people want to go in the first place. For too many children theatres are a no-go area.”

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