The Northwest Arkansas Gridiron Show was established 48 years ago, following in the tradition of the Washington Gridiron Club and providing performances that satirize the politics and cultural trends of the day.
It has nothing to do with football, save that the writers occasionally find ample reason to rib the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The NWA Gridiron is written, directed and performed by professional journalists, student journalists, retired journalists and journalism professors each October. The emcee, on the other hand, is usually a well-respected civic, political or community leader. The show began in 1978 and continued for 13 seasons, using a variety of venues such as the Rodeo Community Center and the Arts Center of the Ozarks, both in Springdale.
It was on hiatus for the next 13 seasons and returned in 2004 with the help of members of the American Association of University Women, with shows for several years at the Arkansas Public Theatre in Rogers. Live shows were temporarily discontinued during the Covid period, and resumed in 2022 at the Butterfield Trail Village in Fayetteville and moved to The Medium in Springdale for the 2024 season.
Politicians from local mayors to state representatives, senators, governors and even a president-in-the-making have attended the show to watch themselves be lampooned and skewered. And that’s half the fun for the audience.
About the Medium
The main theatre at The Medium in downtown Springdale will be remembered by many audience members as the Arts Center of the Ozarks. The Gridiron Show was performed at the ACO during the 1980s, but the entire facility has been reimagined since those days and offers a perfect home to today’s NWA Gridiron Show. The main theatre seats more than 370. Parking is available outside on the north side of the theatre with ample streetside parking as well. The physical address is 214 S. Main St., Springdale, AR 72764, and the theatre’s phone is 479-259-2456. Tickets for the 2024 show are on sale now.