Christopher Haydon reveals inaugural season at Rose Theatre Kingston

Rose Theatre's new artistic director Christopher Haydon has announced his inaugural season.

It features five Rose original productions, including two world premieres. The season opens in September with Haydon's production of Leopards by Alys Metcalf (You Only Live Forever, Unearthed).

Billed as "an unmissable new thriller", it is based around "a gripping encounter that takes place over the course of one stormy night" and runs from 2 to 25 September.

It's followed by another premiere, of The Seven Pomegranate Seeds by Colin Teevan (The Emperor, Doctor Faustus, Rebellion, Das Boot), running from 4 to 20 November.

Directed and designed by Melly Still (My Brilliant Friend, Coram Boy) it sees the women of Euripides' plays reimagined as people of today.

The Christmas show is Beauty and the Beast (3 December to 3 January), reimagined by Ciaran McConville with music and lyrics by Eamonn O'Dwyer, directed by Lucy Morrell.

Next up is Jeff James and James Yeatman's adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion, first seen at the Royal Exchange in 2017. Running from 26 February to 19 March in a co-production with Oxford Playhouse, it promises is a radical reinvention featuring "an explosive foam party and a soundtrack of Frank Ocean, Dua Lipa and Cardi B."

And rounding off the season is a new production of Brecht classic The Caucasian Chalk Circle (23 April to 14 May). Adapted by Steve Waters with music by Michael Henry, it will be directed by Haydon and is set in a refugee camp.

Haydon also revealed today that the Rose is developing projects with Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, Lulu Raczka, Onjali Q. Raúf, Nina Segal and Roy Williams.

He said: "I am delighted to be working with both experienced artists who will help guide the vision of the theatre and emerging talent whom we will mentor and support in every way we can. I'm also really excited to have some of the UK's best playwrights under commission."

Board member Angellica Bell added: "The Rose is not only hugely grateful to have received two grants from the Culture Recovery Fund, but is also proud to have made no staff redundant throughout the past 15 months… Today really is a celebration in every sense of the word. Chris' vision and artistic ambition is made clear through his programming and the partnerships he is forming."