Not too long ago, Kingston's Rose Theatre was on the brink of closing down as the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic forced an involuntary hibernation along with many brother and sisters theatres across the country.

Now, thanks in no small part to the Kingstonians who contributed to a lifeboat fundraising campaign, the legendary London theatre is back.

And in the latest addition to an already tantalising line-up of shows, The Rose have announced a new, original production that will enjoy a "world preview" in Kingston next month.

Running September 2-25, and with social distancing in place for theatre-goers, Leopards is a new production that promises to bring questions of "sex, power and consent" to Kingston's cultural heart.

"Can we ever atone for the sins of our past? When Niala arranges to meet celebrated charity leader Ben in the bar of a London hotel for career advice, their evening unfolds into something far less professional. As the weather closes in and secrets start to surface, the consequences of their choices leave them nowhere to hide," a preview of the play released ahead of opening night reads.

"Leopards is a new play about the image we construct of ourselves and explores what it truly means to be good."

It features two co-stars in the leading roles: Martin Marquez, from Netflix's The Crown and the BBC’s Decline and Fall, and Saffron Coomber, who has starred in Small Axe, Eastenders, and was previously nominated for ‘Best West-End Debut’ at The Stage Debut Awards 2019 for Sonnet Sunday (Globe) and A New and Better You (Yard Theatre).

"'Think of it like carbon offsetting, except for morals," a tagline of the play reads.

Leopards is an original production by The Rose and Alys Metcalf.

For more information and to book tickets, click here.