A Youth Music Theatre UK director has taken on a Terry Pratchett Discworld classic to premiere in Kingston this month.

Luke Sheppard will put on Soul Music at the Rose Theatre with the help of 42 talented young cast members cherry-picked from auditions across the country.

Sheppard, who trained at the National Theatre and as a Noel Coward trainee, says: "I had never read much Terry Pratchett before I got my teeth sunk into this, but it is very funny and the music is incredible. It is a great find."

The Terry Pratchett fantasy story follows the lives of a group of wannabe rockers - in particular Imp Y Celyn - Welsh for bud of the holly, who tries to hone in on a new trend - "music with rocks in it".

His hard work seems to pay off when the band briefly become "more popular than cheeses", in the 16th Discworld series story.

The play delivered with both chaotic comedy and music, follows Imp, who comes to Ankh-Morpork with hopes of stardom but no money for the musician’s guild fees to follow through his dream.

Sheppard says: "I have an interest in adapting books into musicals but Soul Music has never been done before. That’s the exciting thing - it’s absolutely brand new with new music, a new script and we will be performing it for the first time at the Rose Theatre. It’s an amazing theatre. The space is so exciting.

"It will be a world premiere."

The show has been adapted by stand-up comedian Andrew Doyle with original music coming from WhatsOnStage Award nominee Craig Adams and choreography by West End regular Cressida Carré.

Soul Music by Terry Pratchett, Rose Theatre, 24 - 26 High Street, Kingston, 7.30pm, Thursday, August 28, to Sunday, August 31, £5-£25, call 020 8174 0090, visit rosetheatrekingston.org.