Helen Manfull is the first to say her Theater 100 class is no one-woman show. Ten vital "props" help Manfull, a professor of theater and film, teach about 800 students per semester about theatrical history.

Manfull's assistants -- seven actors and three directors, all graduate students in fine arts -- perform for the class almost every meeting as the Theater 100 company.

"I think the company is the lifeblood of the course . . . The actors make a strong commitment to the class," she said. "From the class point of view, (students) become very attached to the company."

Manfull began using a company in the class in 1973, though it had a different form than today.

"When I first got the idea to have live performance in class, I tried using volunteers," Manfull said. "But this didn't quite work out. Often the people who I asked to help me wouldn't show up and this left the class and myself quite disappointed."

"Plays are meant to be seen - not read," said Jack Vernon, a member of the company, which consists of five men and two women actors, plus the directors.

All graduate students in fine arts have the opportunity to join the company in their first or third years, Manfull said. People who are chosen to participate during their first year receive a quarter assistantship, while third year students get a half assistantship and must also teach Theater 102, she said.

Cap Pryor performed with the company his first year and volunteered again this year.

"Participating in the company is one of the most important experiences I've had here," he said.

Pryor said being in the company has taught him how to learn many plays quickly with short rehearsals and has boosted his confidence. The actors rehearse about one and one-half hours before performances, Manfull said.

"Performing for the class gives me an immense sense of gratification, but ultimately we are there for the student," said Vernon.

"A bond grows throughout the semester. At first, the class is not quite sure what to think about us," he said. "But toward the end of the semester we have become interdependent on one another."

Students said the actors make the class more enjoyable than the typical lecture.

Kristen Taras (sophomore-art) who took the class last year, said, "It was the best class I've had here at Penn State. It was different every day. You never wanted to miss a single lecture."

Dave Bayri (junior-business), who is currently taking the class, said, "The actors are really good, and help make the material not boring and easy to understand. It's a great class."

The attachment goes both ways, Vernon said.

"Performing for 800 people three times a week does wonders for your confidence," Pryor said.

The students learn about the history, drama and literature of various plays, Manfull said. They also learn about the community between actors and audiences, she added.

This is what makes the company and the relationship between the company and students so important, she said, noting in order to understand theater you need to experience it.

The students are not seeing perfect plays, Manfull said, because actors still call for lines and occasionally do improvisations. The classroom performances are "works in progress," so she tells students they are watching rehearsals, not finished products, she said.

Watching rehearsals is a teaching device, she said. The students can learn about the characters by watching the actor's ease or difficulty in portraying a particular character, Manfull said. If an actor discusses his or her problem with a character, the class can better understand the character's personality, she said.

Aside from rehearsal-watching and character discussions, costumes are sometimes used to illustrate a certain time period, she said. When costumes are not needed, the actors wear black so the students learn strictly from what is presented and not from what is worn, she said.

Vernon said students also learn because performances are held in a classroom and not a theater.

"Performing scenes in a classroom shows the class that theater can occur anywhere," he said.

Manfull said she agrees a classroom provides a better forum for the class because it keeps both the students and actors relaxed.

No matter where Theater 100 is held, the company makes the class a novelty, said Pryor and Vernon. Both said they never had a theater history class where actors came in and performed for part of the lecture period.

"Theater is the most enduring of arts," said Vernon. "Students should be exposed to this."