A Sketch History of Bath is a playtext published to accompany the release of A Sketch History of Bath on CD and online. The drama comprises ten comedy sketches based very loosely on the history of the British Isles and the city.
Events depicted include the founding of the Roman Baths, the Battle of Lansdown, and the Bath Blitz, with a dramatis personae including King Bladud, King Arthur, Jean de Tours, Ralph Allen, Jane Austen, and Winston Churchill. The title was published as a paperback of seventy odd pages.
The production was conceived in response to my inclusion in the Department for Work and Pensions’ ‘New Deal’ scheme for ‘Jobseekers’. At the outset, seven productions were envisaged, to make a series : A Sketch History of Britain and Ireland. In a short time, I wrote, and cast the first production with members of Bath Drama, myself, and my partner at the time. Trading as The Sketch History Company, I published the title using a self-publishing platform, adapting the artwork used for the Souvenir and Electronic editions, and ordering a limited number of copies.
The playtext was promoted in local coverage and marketed online during the run up to Christmas that year, with a small number of sales resulting. Neither edition was commercially successful and I decided against continuing with the rest of the series.
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