Drama school graduates will join Dundee Rep's Ensemble following a rigorous audition process.

The Graduate Actor Scheme is a year-long placement giving the budding professionals a chance to kick-start their career in a professional environment.

The Rep's new Artistic Director, Andrew Panton put the recent graduates through their paces during a extensive audition process held in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London.

Four of this year's apprentices come from the BA Musical Theatre course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and one has recently graduated from the Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol.

Thomas England, Eleanor House, Emma Mullen, Hannah Pauley, and Jamie Pritchard will perform in a variety of next year's productions at the award-winning Tayside theatre.

Previous graduates from the programme include Dundee born Caroline Deyga, who went on to perform in the Olivier Award-winning National Theatre production 'Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour'.