Iowa Summer Rep, the University of Iowa’s professional repertory theatre company, announces a season featuring a tortured pinball wizard and a vibe described as “Father Knows Best squared.”

The season begins with Bad Seed, directed by Eric Forsythe, Iowa Summer Rep artistic director. The story takes place in the South not long after World War II, and mainly concerns a seemingly perfect little 8-year old girl who, because of a hereditary “bad seed,” is actually a scheming murderess. Did little Rhoda actually drown one of her schoolmates who won the coveted penmanship medal that Rhoda feels she deserved? Does her mother go insane with suicidal guilt? Does everybody deny everything? And how can the neighbors, friends, even a mystery writer and a psychologist not see what anyone with a lick of sense can see?

Bad Seed will take place at 8 p.m. June 28-30, July 3, 5-7, and 10-13, and at 6 p.m. July 4; all performances will be held in David Thayer Theatre.

Summer Rep’s second production, beginning July 18 and directed by John Clarence Cameron, will be Tommy—the Tony Award-winning rock musical based on The Who's 1969 double album of the same name, featuring the smash hit “Pinball Wizard.”

After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother's lover by his father, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia. As the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors. As an adolescent, he’s discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, Tommy becomes an international pinball superstar.

Performances will take place at 8 p.m. July 18-21 and 25-27 in E.C. Mabie Theatre.

Tommy is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.

In addition to the two plays, the UI Summer Opera will present Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe, a magical and hilarious operetta full of brilliantly witty dialogue and soaring melodies, complete with orchestra and some fantastical special effects. Performances will take place at 8 p.m. July 11-13 and 2 p.m. July 14 at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts.

Tickets are on sale beginning Tuesday, May 28, from the Hancher Box Office in the Old Capitol Town Center. Tickets are available at www.hancher.uiowa.edu/tickets. Hancher Box Office summer business hours, for walk-up and phone sales, are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays. Call 319-335-1160 or 800-426-2437. People with special needs for access, seating, and auxiliary services should dial 319-335-1158, which is equipped with TDD for people with hearing impairment.

Iowa Summer Rep represents a rich tradition of nearly a century of summer theatre at UI. Beginning with Edward C. Mabie’s arrival on campus in 1920, summer play production became a regular feature at the UI. Summer Repertory Theatre was established in 1961. In 1984, Iowa Summer Rep presented its first single-playwright season, offering a unique focus in American summer theatre. In 2000, Summer Rep also became an Actors’ Equity Company, elevating its status as a professional theater company. While many things have changed in the 92-year history of summer play production at Iowa, Iowa Summer Rep has provided a unique and exciting gathering place for the community, whose continued presence and support has inspired a tradition of excellence. Iowa Summer Rep is sponsored, in part, by the UI Office of Summer Session.

The Department of Theatre Arts is part of the Division of Performing Arts in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, contact the Department of Theatre Arts in advance at 319-335-2700.

For a UI arts calendar and details about upcoming events visit the new Arts Iowa website.