No Refund Theatre (NRT) displays the concept of not judging a book by its cover in this weekend's performance of The Elephant Man at 8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday in 111 Forum.

The Elephant Man is a true story about the last few years of the life of sideshow performer John Merrick, a man with a deformed face who lived in the 1800s.

Merrick, played by Matt Keeler (junior-communication sciences and disorders), is taken to a London hospital and cared for by a caring man named Frederick Treves, played by 2004 Penn State graduate Jason Poorman.

Treves attempts to help the elephant man regain a normal lifestyle.

Though Treves and others are working to help Merrick fit in with Victorian society, Merrick ends up being the one to help them see the world through his eyes.

"My favorite part is Dr. Treves' discussions with the elephant man," said Poorman, a Penn State graduate.

"He is trying to teach Merrick, but at the same time Merrick is teaching him," Poorman added.

Mrs. Kendal, played by Lindsay Keiter, is a character who becomes Merrick's best friend and eventually brings him out of his shell.

"Mrs. Kendal is an underlying character with a big impact," Keiter (sophomore- history and women's studies) said. "No one can bear to look at him, and she helps him to find his place."

This is the first time The Elephant Man is being performed by NRT, under the direction of Blythe Hart. Originally written by Bernard Pomerance, the play won a Pulitzer Prize in 1979. This version of the play is written with 19 characters, but only seven are performing, which means everyone but Keeler plays multiple characters.

"The actors dress all in black and add accessories to distinguish between different personalities," Hart (junior-theatre) said. "The play is broken into basics, relying on symbolism over realism."

The task of playing multiple characters is not necessarily an easy one.

Along with playing Mrs. Kendal, Keiter plays a countess who superficially befriends Merrick and also a pinhead.

"The pinhead acts as a deus ex machina [a god-like character that comes in at the end of the play] and guides the action at the end of the play," Keiter said. "These lesser characters demand less and are not as involved as Mrs. Kendal."

Poorman, who also plays a conductor and assists Merrick, said that playing multiple characters is interesting and difficult because the actors have to present themselves in different ways to help the audience distinguish between them. The actors may add an accent or carry themselves in another manner to achieve this.

Playing separate characters can be silly also. "At one point, the conductor leaves to retrieve my other character," Poorman said with a laugh.