[6]: 426 The serious content was balanced by humor provided by the character of 'Gus', who continually threatens to quit, but adopts scientific methods along with Merton.
[note 1]: 58 [7] Initially presented at County Fairs around the state, its popularity exceeded expectations and the play continued to tour at farmers' institutes, other educational sessions and also at social events.
George Edgar Vincent - University President from 1911 to 1917 - put in place innovative programming including 'University Weeks' with plays, lectures, concerts and debates similar to the Chautauqua Institute he had previously led, in the spirit of increasing educational and cultural opportunities for the general public.
[14][15][16] Those initial rural productions of Back to the Farm launched the existence of Punchinello Players in 1914, originally under the name the Minnesota Agriculture Dramatic Club.
[17] [note 3] For much of the early decades, all members of Punchinello were students enrolled in the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics.
[19][note 4]: 14 Early in the Twin Cities history (prior to 1900) the only theater available in the area were touring groups, in from the East Coast.
[25][26] Punchinello's original production of Back to the Farm was presented on a touring basis around the state, initially at County Fairs and later at various educational sessions and social events.
[39] Scott Hall on the University of Minnesota Campus East Bank was modern and well-furnished when it was built in 1921, and the Agricultural Dramatic Club, along with the other groups at the time including Masquers, Garrick, the Player, Paint and Patches, and Pi Upsilon Delta all participated in activities there.
The drama faculty consisted of four people, and the Little Theater annually produced five major shows and various experimental performances.
[17] The first committed, long-term faculty advisor of Punchinello was William J. Routledge (Rhetoric Professor at the University Farm) who coached the organization from the late 1920s through till the 1940–1941 school year.
[45][46][47][18] Starting with the 1941–1942 school year, Dr. Francis Drake was faculty advisor and often show director, but Punchinello – like many University organizations – was largely dormant during World War II.
[48][27][34][35] Punchinello's faculty advisor and frequent production director for over three decades was William M. Marchand, humanities professor of the rhetoric department, CFANS.
[52] Comedies have included Square Crooks in 1929, Dover Road by A.A. Milne in 1936, Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw in 1954, Harvey by Mary Chase in 1958, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde in 1973 and Hay Fever by Noël Coward in 1978.
[19][47] Punchinello often explored social issues, with sell-out productions such as The Crucible by Arthur Miller and Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett in 1964 and in 1983,[55] as well as lesser known works including Play with a Tiger by Doris Lessing in 1979 and Shadow Box by Michael Cristofer in 1982.