A couple of cowboys, two waitresses, a sheriff, a professor, a bus driver and a lounge singer -- it almost sounds like the cast of Gilligan's Island.

But these characters aren't taking a three-hour tour to the tropics. Instead, they become stranded at a roadside diner in rural Kansas when a snowstorm hits in the Penn State School of Theatre's production of William Inge's Bus Stop.

Jack Landry (graduate-theatre arts) plays the part of Virgil, an old, weathered cowboy.

"Virgil is a father figure," Landry said. "He's the wise mentor to the young, punky, feisty cowboy Bo."

Bo spends all his time working on the Montana ranch he inherited from his parents, knowing little about the outside world. The two cowboys make the trip to Kansas City to see a rodeo and find Bo a girl. He quickly sets his sights on bubbly nightclub singer Cherie.

"Bo truly believes that Cherie is singing the lyrics just for him," he said.

Played by Matt Hydzik (senior-musical theater), Bo is determined to make Cherie his wife and decides to kidnap her. He succeeds in getting her on the bus but his plans are ruined when mother nature interferes.

"Bo thinks and feels all the right things but he doesn't know how to express himself," Hydzik said. "He's a good guy but doesn't know how to be cordial to women."

When the bus gets stuck in the snow, they have no choice but to remain at a roadside diner for a day. Cherie has no way of escaping the stubborn Bo, who is prepared to throw her over his shoulder and carry her off to the justice of the peace.

In the midst of the blizzard, others have found themselves stranded at the diner and an assortment of personalities crosses paths.

"There are these very strong characters that float around the world and become trapped in this space for the night," Hydzik said. "They are all trying to figure out how to get what they want in life."

The set constructed for Bus Stop is a home-like, 1950s diner, complete with a working stove. In one scene, Bo orders a very large meal that he is expected to consume entirely, right there on set. Hydzik said he doesn't mind too much about having to polish off three hamburgers, ham, eggs, pie and a gallon of milk for each rehearsal.

Jim Wise, acting instructor and director of Bus Stop, said the play is not centered on any one character but involves multiple plot lines, all relating to love and romance.

"What's interesting is the title," Wise said. "It's very appropriate because these people are on a journey and the storm makes them stop and reflect about where they have been, where they are now, and where they are headed with their lives."

Inge referred to Bus Stop as an anatomy of love, which Wise said is very suiting because each person is searching for some form of love, ranging from the innocent to the depraved. As in many of his plays, Inge explores feelings of isolation and the human instinct to overcome isolation through love.

"As these plots unfold, some of the characters find happiness through the type of love they pursue," Wise said. "Others remain isolated and lonely."

A preview will be given at 8 tonight in the Playhouse Theatre. Tickets are $7.50. The play begins at 8 p.m. and will run from April 18 until Sunday, April 26. Tickets are $10.50 for the general public and $8.50 for children and students. A matinee performance will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday April 26. Matinee tickets are $9.50 for the general public, $7.50 for students and $6.50 for children.