A NEW play is set to explore the difficulties of job applications and rejection in the current employment climate.

Taking to the Heart of Hawick stage, The Rejects follows five strangers who have gathered in a pub after being interviewed for the same terrible job.

The play, which sold out at last year's Edinburgh Fringe and enjoyed rave reviews, shows how as the night progresses, one by one each applicant reckons with their rejection letters.

Playwright Jess Farrier said: “It’s a play about competition, being a slave to capitalism, and the inconvenient human instinct to crumble at rejection. 

“The play was inspired by the horrific state of the current job market and the stresses of living during a cost of living crisis.

"I wanted to explore humanity’s instinctively competitive nature, and the theme of desperation in a way which is deeply relatable but also humorous.”

The winner of the best comedy award from The Derek Awards 2023, The Rejects' characters remain nameless - simply referred to as candidates One, Two, Three etc. - and are caricatures of relatable archetypes.

Jess added: “They are extravagant enough that we can laugh at their ridiculousness but with everyday struggles which mean we find little pieces of ourselves within them too."

Shark Bait Theatre, the company behind The Rejects, began as a university project.

Founding member, and candidate One actor, Robyn Reilly, said: “Shark Bait Theatre was formed as part of a university graduate project in which we had to create a company and produce a show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in our graduating year, 2023.

“We decided we liked working with each other enough to stay together!

"This will be our first year as a company producing work outside of university and we could not be more excited.”

Shark Bait Theatre aim to use their performances to have "serious conversations about the human condition through humour and entertainment" and add a humorous note to sometime difficult situations.

The Rejects heads to the Heart of Hawick on Saturday, April 13, starting at 7.30pm.

The show is suitable for audiences aged 14 and up.

Tickets are £8 and can be bought from: www.liveborders.org.uk/whats-on