OK In-Depth; OKC Gridiron

For more than three quarters of a century, members of the Oklahoma City Gridiron Club have staged an annual performance of satire that they call the show Oklahoma politicians love to hate. Bob Hale got started 12 years ago when, as he jokingly puts it, the group of non-professional actors decided to lower its standards to let him join. Gridiron is hysteria, mass hysteria actually. We get a group of theatrical want-of-these who get together once a year. They also, most of them, have ego problems that need to be satisfied. And we put on a political roast. We go after the politicians and selected bits of modern living. The bottom line is that we provide scholarships for aspiring journalists. Between its performance earlier this weekend, it shows this weekend, the group expects to raise an estimated $12 to $15,000 for scholarships for broadcast and journalism students in the state.

What makes this show particularly interesting is that many of the actors themselves are members of the media. My name is Andrew Harris, and I actually do the Morning Traffic Reports on Channel 9, and then I also work at an ad agent's here in Oklahoma City, and I am the governor this year, as I've been for the past three years. And most of the issues, I don't take positions, and I try to avoid speaking out. You hear me talking, but I don't say much because it's problems of that I have no doubts and my good friends. You can listen. I will make this an issue, for you can trust me this I promise, I won't be mailed now to one position. I love to speak a little magly. Actually, I've been in Gryron for about, I think this is my fifth year, and this one seems to have some really kind of cutting edge material, if you will. I don't know, there's so many really, really newsworthy items that pretty much everyone, whether you've been in politics or not, would have heard of and should find entertaining.

In 2007, Gridiron President and producer Susan Lovektois says the performances have become an Oklahoma tradition. He started back in 1928, and it was just reporters all mailed up until the 70s, and just reporters got together, stood up in their suit coats and just barbed one liners, you know, and it's kind of evolved into this stage production with kind of silly costuming and things like that, and the politicians basically write the show for us. From the time life, musical collection, now for the first time in one place, you can get this once-in-a-lifetime collection, Mark Foley Page by Page, the definitive collection of Mark's favorite songs, just listen.

I'm Stephen Reimer, I'm the head writer for the state scene. If you're sarcastic and you like comedy and political humor, this is where it's at. I mean, this gives a lot of us who are frustrated writers and musicians and political commentators a chance to really cut loose and talk about the things that we're passionate about, which is politics and news, and pointing a finger at some of the more egregious things that news makers do. Gridiron's performances begin at 7.45 this evening, and tomorrow night at Stage Center in Oklahoma City. For more information on tickets and scholarships, visit our website at kgeu.org. I'm KGOU News Director Scott Gurion.