The newly rebuilt Royal Opera House has suffered a further setback with the cancellation of another performance, the ninth since it reopened in December.

The House said the Wednesday matinee performance of Sir Harrison Birtwistle's opera Gawain for special schools was scrapped due to "continuing problems" with new software used to change stage scenery.

A spokeman said the incident was regrettable, adding that the schools had received refunds for tickets and expenses.

But he was unable to say when the problems might be resolved, as new hitches kept cropping up: "The problems arise when they arise. We are not able to forsee them."

The problems are seen as a blow to the House's goal to become "the people's opera" - improving access and offering educational work - supported by an increase in its government grant from �16m to �20m.

'Subsidised audiences'

The cancellation has reopened the debate on state subsidies for the arts. The artistic director of the London's Globe Theatre, which has just announced an �800,000 profit, has called for them to end.

Mark Rylance told The Daily Telegraph that audiences rather than companies should be subsidised, with people ringing a central agency which would offer them a subsidy on the full market price of their ticket.

But an Opera House spokesman said the Covent Garden building could not be fairly compared with the Shakespearean playhouse as it put on performances all year round rather than seasonly and employed sophisticated technology.

He added that the subsidy allowed them to offer cut-price opera and ballet tickets and free events.

On Tuesday, the government revealed that the Royal Opera House has cancelled nine performances since its opening season was announced in January 1999.

A Commons written reply by Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Chris Smith said the overall loss to the House was estimated at �243,115.

Mr Smith added that the Royal Opera House's contingency budget would accommodate the loss in revenue.