BURLINGTON - When a snowstorm makes the roads impassable outside of Kansas City, passengers on an inbound bus are forced to layover in a small diner about 30 miles outside of the city. There, with no phone service and a limited menu, a cast of characters - from a headstrong, small-town cowboy to a dissolute (and slightly creepy) scholar - are forced to get to know one another, whether they want to or not.

This premise of throwing a diverse group of people together and seeing how they connect may sound familiar to fans of today's reality television shows. Yet, it is actually a dramatic device that has been around for many years, according to Joyce Becker Lee of the Haylofters, Inc., Burlington's community theater company.

"It is a standard stage device used to develop characters and you'll find it in the movies and television as well as theater," said Lee. "Shows like 'Gilligan's Island' were based on it."

The Haylofters will carry on the tradition of this theatrical concept in their stage production of "Bus Stop," a classic comedy written by William Inge, which opens at the Malt House Theater tonight with Lee in the director's chair.

Love and loneliness

"Bus Stop" takes place in the Kansas diner described above, but the stories it tells could be those of people just about anywhere. Along with the cowboy, Bo (Matt Timmons) and the aging scholar Dr. Lyman (Joseph Hunley), the cast includes diner owner Grace (LaVerne Hill); waitress Elma (Katrina Leonard); bus driver Carl (Gary Rohn); sheriff Will (Brendon Haglund); a "chanteuse" named Cherie (Sondra Gesselle), who Bo is trying to force to marry him; and Bo's ranch hand Virgil (Mike Austin), who not only serves as the cowboy's voice of reason, but as the evening's entertainment, strumming his guitar.

Some of the play's characters were acquainted before the storm, while others meet for the first time on that snowy night at the diner. By the time the roads are clear, however, all of them have gotten to know one another better and are changed in some way or another by each other. Grace and Carl finally get a chance to take the flirtatious relationship they've been cultivating during 20-minute bus layovers to the next level. Meanwhile, Bo and Cherie must each work through their own issues, before they can figure out how they truly feel about each other. And without really realizing it, sweet, innocent Elma learns a life lesson from Dr. Lyman.

"It is really a story about love," says Lee, a former drama teacher who has been involved with the Haylofters for 40 years. "All different kinds of love, from something closer to lust to precious love presented in a very gentile manner. It is wonderful in that respect."

"Bus Stop" is also a story of real life, with touches of sadness amidst the laughs, she said.

"It is a very complex play, yet it is written very subtly. Every character has lots of layers, just like we do. Those layers are what makes us who we are."

Only the beginning

Inge's comedy is the first production in the Haylofters regular 2008 season, which will also include a summer and a fall show in its historic Malt House Theater. Two bonus shows, a children's production and a holiday concert are also on the agenda this year with the Haylofters, which is the longest continually running community theater company in the state (see accompanying story for production details).

"This is a big year for us," said Lee.

Established in 1932 by Elmer Ebert and Catherine and Cyril Hammiller, the Haylofters took their name from the troupe's earliest days when its shows were presented on a small stage built into the hayloft of the old Newell barn, which was near downtown Burlington back then. Before long, members of the theater began presenting one-act plays on whatever stage was available until, during World War II, they purchased the Malt House as their permanent home.

After years of renovations, the troupe opened the Malt House Theater to the public with a production of "Angel Street" in 1954. The historic building, which was erected in the 1800s as the Jacob Muth Brewery (later the Finke-Uhen malt house), today houses a 100-seat theater, which was recently updated with air conditioning.

As with most vintage buildings, the theater still needs some work and the Haylofters are planning a capital campaign to help pay for further renovations. The company is committed to staying in its current location not only because of the history it holds, but because it feels like home.

"It is a wonderful building," said Lee, who started volunteering with the community theater when she was a teenager. "It has been like a second home for me and my family. It is where I met my husband and my kids practically grew up here. We've made some good, good friends here."

It is also a place where anyone with an interest in theater - whether it be acting or behind-the-scenes work - can get involved and pursue their passion, said Lee. Some of the cast of "Bus Stop," for instance, are veteran Malt House Theater performers, while others are seasoned actors, but new to the Burlington stage. Others, still, are making their community theater debut in this show.

"Anyone can take part in community theater," Lee said. "You just have to love it."

If You Go

WHAT: "Bus Stop," a comedy by William Inge, performed by the Haylofters community theater company.

WHEN: 7:30 tonight, Friday and Saturday; and May 8-10 and 16-17. There will also be one matinee performance at 2 p.m. on May 18.

WHERE: Malt House Theater, 109 N. Main St., Burlington.

COST: Tickets are $10. They are available in advance at The Daily Brew coffee house, 557 Milwaukee Ave., Burlington, (262) 767-9951, during regular business hours or at the theater door.

INFO: Call (262) 763-9873 or go to http://www.geocities.com/jblee46/Haylofters.html

The season

"Bus Stop" kicks off the Haylofters' 2008 regular season. The rest of the season includes:

* "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," July 16-19; 23-26 and 31, and Aug. 1-3.

* "Bell, Book & Candle," Oct. 2-4, 9-11 and 17-19.

The theater company is also offering two bonus shows:

* "Les Miserables" (high school version) July 10-13 at the Burlington High School Auditorium, 400 McCanna Parkway, Burlington.

* "A … My Name is Alice," Nov. 13-15 and 21-23

Plus a children's production:

* "Stuart Little," Aug. 14-17 and 21-24.

The company will finish the year with its annual Holiday Concert, a choral performance, Dec. 4-6 at the Burlington High School Auditorium. All shows are at the Malt House Theater, unless otherwise noted. Shows and dates are subject to change.