NWA Gridiron Show for 2023 Pokes Fun While Aiding Journalism Scholarships

Society of Professional Journalists

When Chancellor Dan Ferritor of the U of A emceed the Northwest Arkansas Gridiron, he was the center of attention. The Gridiron Show returns to the stage Friday and Saturday, Oct. 5-6.

The 2023 Northwest Arkansas Gridiron Show, sponsored by the student and professional chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists, will be performed Friday and Saturday, Oct. 6-7, at the Butterfield Trail Village Performance Hall. Proceeds from ticket sales benefit annual journalism scholarships and professional development.

The annual spoof of the year’s news events is a sketch comedy written and performed by journalism professors, students, alumni and local journalists. Tickets are $35 each and are on sale now at nwagridiron.com. They will also be available at the door for cash or check.

"This year’s event honors the lives of Brenda Blagg and Hoyt Purvis, two luminaries in Northwest Arkansas," said Gina Shelton, president of the Society of Professional Journalists. "We hope to have a big crowd to celebrate them and support things they were both passionate about: a vibrant journalism community and scholarship and training opportunities for young reporters."

The theme this year, “The Penpire Strikes Back,” refers to one of the themes for the show — the Hollywood writers’ strike. Doors open at 6 p.m. for refreshments and general seating. The show begins at 7 p.m. There are no reserved seats.

Larry Foley, a longtime professor at the U of A School of Journalism and Strategic Media and an accomplished documentary filmmaker, will emcee the show. The cast welcomes back Kristi Peterson as musical director. 

For a non-election year, 2023 has been filled with plenty of grist for the Gridiron humor mill. Arkansas’ first female governor, America’s oldest president ever, a very busy state legislature in the spring and something new in the courts every day have provided plenty of fodder for the Gridiron writers.

Beyond politics, though, the writers also waded into cultural phenomena like Barbie, international personages such as King Charles III and Taylor Swift, and economic solutions for the era of unaffordable housing.

The program is presented in two 45-minute acts with a 20-minute intermission, and refreshments are provided at the intermission as part of the ticket price.

Proceeds benefit the Northwest Arkansas Society of Professional Journalists scholarship program.

For more information about the Gridiron, or to purchase tickets for the Oct. 6 and 7 shows, go online to nwagridiron.com.

Parking: Butterfield Trail Village is on the north side of Fayetteville with parking most easily accessed from Old Missouri Road, using the drive known as Fargo Road. The parking is immediately on the left, and a shuttle will operate between the parking lot and the theater entrance before and after the show.