An original comedy series based on the Town of St George and its colourful characters is to premiere next Friday.

Town(e) is the brainchild of Kristin White, an award-winning Bermudian writer, entrepreneur and social justice activist, who has been working on the concept since 2017, and is writer, director and producer on the show.

In its pilot phase, Town(e) takes a deep dive into the interpersonal relationships in St George — “a small town on an already small island”.

Some of the Unesco World Heritage Site’s key players and events will be instantly recognisable to locals, not least the central character, Kristin, who is based on Ms White.

Two episodes have been produced and will be screened together next on April 26 at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute from 6.30pm.

Ms White, who owns the popular St George book and retail store Long Story Short, and created the Haunted History tours in the town, said: “It’s going to hit a lot of notes for people. Some may hate it but most will love it.

“One that will air next week will recognise things that have happened locally. The audience will recognise the story, the part I played and how I reimagined it for this script.

“The other one is not based on my real life. It’s an incident or conversation that Black Bermudians have a lot among ourselves when we are having to mix with White people or people who are not as engaged in history and culture.

“I am nervous but feel really good about it. I feel good that it’s a good production, a beautiful production that’s funny, clever, biting and controversial.”

The main character of Kristin is played by celebrated local performer Nishanthi Bailey.

The character’s husband, Marcus, is played by Daren Herbert, the award-winning Bermudian film and stage actor known for his role in the Netflix comedy series Kim’s Convenience among other prominent roles.

Phaedra Dill is co-director on the series. Atlanta-based production company Cupcake Rapture Studios has co-directed and co-produced the series while Bermudian company 7 South Productions provided the production crew.

The play’s pitch summary sets the scene: “An entrepreneur in Bermuda navigates small-town politics, clueless tourists, marriage and the vestiges of colonialism, all while growing her business, managing her temper and balancing a rum swizzle.”

Ms White said that the series is in the proof-of-concept phase and once the screening has taken place there will be efforts to attract investors or secure a production deal.

She added: “This screening will get it out to a local audience so we can get feedback and testimonials.

“We really want a streaming partner. We don’t want to keep producing without an outlet outside of Bermuda.

“Production alone was tens of thousands of dollars. I have written 15 episodes designed to run over three seasons but there’s no funding for that yet. The goal is to get a production deal or investors, which is where the streaming platforms and film festivals will come in.”

Ms White said she expects the premiere to sell out as there are only 20 tickets left, but added that she hoped to stage further screenings in May and at the end of summer.

At 7.15pm next Friday, there will be a post-screening dialogue including cast and crew members led by Archel Bernard, a motivational speaker and designer of a Liberian social enterprise.

The event will end with a celebration including drinks and refreshments from 8.15pm to 9pm.

Tickets are available via the Long Story Short website.

Funds raised from the event will help to market the show and pay entrance fees into film festivals.