Deep in the corner of the Murphy Hall expansion, carved out of the old marching band room, lays the cozy Robert Baustian Theatre, formerly known as the Black Box Theatre.

A humbler space for the world premiere of a new opera couldn’t possibly exist. But then “Picnic” is a humble story about ordinary Kansans.

“Picnic” premiered Thursday at Kansas University Opera.

Using a libretto by Tim Ocel, composer Forrest Pierce adapted the William Inge play into what might be described as an intricate patchwork of musical bits that celebrate the people of Kansas. Cleverly piecing together a wide variety of song-like snippets, Pierce reflects the wise and naÃive, the lost and the found, and the crazy and sane people who make up life in small-town Kansas.

Pierce assigned each character a musical key that represented their personality and spirit. The character Flo sings in F-major and minor and Rosemary is B-flat and occasionally E depending on the face she wants to put forward. The result is a polytonal community of voices each with his or her own motivations, history and future. The effect, although sometimes difficult to sort out, is easy to listen to and never boring.

Soprano Sylvia Stoner-Hawkins delivered a wonderful performance as Flo, the single mother of two teenage daughters. She lives in the world of fancy aprons and aluminum cake carriers. Stoner-Hawkins has an exquisite and formidable voice that she controls effortlessly. Unfortunately, the tiny theater took her gorgeous sounds and occasionally distorted them against concrete walls. Listening to her is a pleasure but her silvery voice belongs in a better acoustic. As an actress, Stoner-Hawkins completely embodied the lonely 1950s Midwestern housewife.

Sharon Campbell, as the old-maid schoolteacher Rosemary Sidney, was stunningly accomplished as both singer and actress. She peppered her singing with Midwestern hard R’s and broad vowels which are forbidden in the classical repertoire but became her new character perfectly. As funny as she was tragic, Campbell has the comedic timing, the vocal strength and emotional intensity necessary to define the role.

Angie Solomon, as the pretty sister Madge, sang with a youthful wistfulness. Most recently seen as Papagena in the Lyric Opera’s Mozart’s “Magic Flute,” she has an understated simmer that plays very well.

Least suited to his vocally demanding role was Dustin Peterson as drifter Hal Carter. Aside from a few vocal cracks during particularly intense singing, he improved as the opera progressed. He had the look of the character but not the vocal consistency.

KU tends to attract very fine bass voices. Tyler Simpson, who also built the evocative sets, and Lane Johnson rounded out the cast with their beautiful low resonance and believable characterizations.

Kristee Haney and Emily Rogers, as the slightly wild and crazy teacher friends, were perfect with their funny stage business and vintage purses. Some of the best musical sequences occur when they take center stage with Campbell.

“Picnic” has the potential to become an important opera in the regional repertoire. With more performances in different venues, the work will continue to evolve. You won’t go home singing any of the song-like snippets but the memorable characters and delightful performances will make you smile.

The opera has shows at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, Thursday and April 12.