The Town Players of Newtown will continue its 80th anniversary season birthday with a production of Bus Stop, weekends from September 4 to September 26; a production of Design for Murder, to be staged weekends in the fall; an exhibit at C.H. Booth Library recounting the organization’s history, and a gala planned for October 17.

The production of Bus Stop will be a 2015 Newtown Arts Festival event. Directed by Brian DeToma, William Inge’s play tells the story of a busload of passengers from Kansas City who seek shelter from a snowstorm at a roadside diner. While there they create friendships, and some find romance.

The final production of the 2015 season will be George Batson’s Design for Murder. The play has all the ingredients for a thriller: murder, romance, comedy, and a stormy night in a stately mansion.

Located in a showcase outside the children’s department, the exhibition at C.H. Booth Library is a collaborative effort the library and Newtown Cultural Arts Commission. It presents viewers with scripts, posters, playbills and other collectible items from the theater’s history. The collection can be viewed during regular library hours: Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am-8 pm; Friday, 11 am-5 pm; and Saturday, 9:30 am-5 pm.

The gala will be at Newtown Country Club on Saturday, October 17, from 6 to 9 pm. Fine food, music entertainment and a silent auction are planned, as well as a chance for guests to mingle with actors, directors, crew members and board members. Tickets will be $50, and will be on sale soon.

Now in its 80th year, the Town Players of Newtown began in 1935 when the Reverend Paul A. Cullens, of Newtown Congregational Church, decided to put on a play to raise funds to send children to a youth conference.

Since that time the Town Players have moved from Edmond Town Hall to its current home, The Little Theater at 18 Orchard Hill Road. It wasn’t until 1965 that a backstage and dressing room were added to the building. The community theater company has produced more than 280 plays during its history.

Its current production is “Hot August Nights — An Evening of One-Acts.” Four directors are responsible for the presentation of five one-act plays, which opened July 31. Audiences are being treated to performances of A.R. Gurney’s The Problem, The Proposal by Anton Chekhov, Porch by Jack Heifner; Wanted for Dinner, an original play by Newtown resident Elizabeth Young; and Lovely Letters, another original play, by Bethel resident Michael Giuliano.

Newtown Bee Theater Reviewer Elizabeth Young said the “wide ranging group of shorts played like a compilation of excellent short stories” in her recap of opening night.

Performances continue Friday and Saturday, August 7-8, at 8 pm each night.

Tickets are $18 for adults, $10 for children, although parents are advised that the production may not be suitable for young audience members.

Call 203-270-9144 or visit newtownplayers.org for reservations and additional information.