Productions by the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet will be beamed to outside screens in Sheffield, Liverpool, Gateshead, Belfast and London's Canary Wharf.

It is part of an initiative to reach people who would not normally watch ballet or opera.

Among the summer free screenings will be the Royal Ballet's Manon and the Royal Opera's Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute).

The ROH has been relaying live performances into London's Convent Garden Piazza for the past three seasons to offer the public a chance to experience the work performed there.

"We are working to engage the enthusiasm of a new generation and to entice more socially diverse audiences through our doors," said ROH executive director Tony Hall.

"Widening access to the Royal Opera House is a daunting task in its scale, but it is essential to our future success and to our nation's artistic heritage.

"We are happy to be bringing the joy and wonder of opera and ballet to as wide an audience as possible."

The outdoor performances will be:

• 26 May - Manon -The Royal Ballet - Covent Garden Piazza, Liverpool, Sheffield
  
• 1 July - Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute), The Royal Opera - Covent Garden Piazza, Canary Wharf
  
• 16 July - Pagliacci, The Royal Opera - Covent Garden Piazza, Gateshead, Belfast

The ROH has also launched the Open House initiative offering 6,500 cheaper tickets for Romeo and Juliet and Madame Butterfly in October and November.

Other productions introduced for the new season include The Tempest, Sweeney Todd and Handel's Orlando performed by the Royal Opera.

The Royal Ballet's highlights include Cinderella and Christopher Wheeldon's Polyphonia.