Speaking at the Critics' Circle theatre awards, Nicholas Hytner said he did not think the law would be used to prosecute artists, but it would stop them "saying things that are worth saying".
"I claim the right to be as offensive as I choose about what other people think, and to tell any story that I choose," he said. "No one has the right not to be offended."
His comments received a warm response from the critics, actors and directors gathered for the ceremony at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London.
Alan Bennett's play The History Boys, a hit at the National, won two awards: best new play, and best actor for Richard Griffiths. Best musical went to Mel Brooks's The Producers. Victoria Hamilton won best actress for her role in Suddenly Last Summer.
