By Rachel Shuster

Founded in 2006, Molehill Productions is an up and coming production company, presenting works created by local playwrights.

“Although we specialize in original theater, we are interested in producing a wide array of artistic endeavors, showcasing nascent and emerging talent,” said Seth Leary, founder and artistic director of Molehill Productions.

Back in 2006, Leary, of Worcester, was applying to a Fringe festival when the name for his production company was born. “It said ‘Production Company,’ so I put in a name. I chose Molehill because I was looking to make mountains,” Leary said.

Molehill Productions’ next production is a musical romantic comedy presented in anthology form titled, Love: In a Number of Acts.

“It has a ‘play within a play’ storyline, where the over-arching book, written by myself and Sean Costello, incorporates musical interludes, written by myself, and three one-act plays, written by two different local playwrights. The story is about love and magic and the pursuit/presence of the two in our lives,” Leary said. “A charismatic, yet bumbling, magician must perform a love ritual in order to earn his Love Card, so he can pursue a lady magician.

“The magician brings together an ensemble of actors who represent love in its many forms through a myriad of mediums. As the love stories and songs unfold, so do the latent and blossoming feelings between the cast members. The audience experiences the love ritual both in a presentational form and from a unique, behind the scenes view.”

This play came to fruition in September of 2012, when Leary realized that it had been more than three years since he had a play open.

“I scoured my inventory and realized I had the score to an original musical that, if presented in a theatrical concert context, could form the foundation for a new show. I couldn’t do it alone, so I contacted my frequent collaborator Sean Costello [of Worcester], and we wrote the magician’s story. With the subsequent inclusion of one-act plays by local playwrights Kelly Flanagan [of Shrewsbury] and Kara Krantz [of Sturbridge], we filled out the rest of the love ritual story,” Leary said.

As for his theater background, Leary has plenty of experience under his belt, both in central Massachusetts and beyond. “Sean and I opened our first original production, Bob for God, at Gateway Players Theater in 2002. Since then, I’ve had a number of original plays produced throughout the New England region, including The Balance in Bedford (N.H.), Becky’s: In concert with collaborator Brian Sampson and Tragical, Comical, Historical, Pastoral in Philadelphia,” Leary explained.

Leary’s favorite type of theater ~ “comedic and collaborative, utilizing a cinematic, dynamic approach” ~ is certainly representative of his personality and the type of work he has been producing. Leary also loves Shakespeare, classic musicals and “interactive, guerilla-style forms of satirical performance art comedy.”’

As for his inspirations, Leary has quite a list. It includes Shakespeare, Neil Simon, David Chase, Aaron Sorkin, The Rolling Stones, Beethoven, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Death Row Records and Arthur Miller.

Love: In a Number of Acts opens June 7 at the Singh Performance Center, 50 Douglas Road, Whitinsville, and runs for two weekends, closing Saturday, June 15. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7 p.m., and there is also a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee June 9. Tickets are $15 general admission at the door.

For more information about Molehill Productions and on how to get involved in productions, check out molehillproductions.wordpress.com, find it on Facebook or email Leary at molehill.productions@gmail.com.

Photos: Members of Molehill Productions rehearse for their upcoming play. (Kara Emily Krantz Photography)