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PrintMembers of the Tulsa Gridiron
Tulsa Press Club prepares to unveil its newest musical satire show.
Originally the women of the Tulsa Gridiron were men dressed in drag. Today, the drag is only for fun, as women have become an integral part of the once male-only musical satire show.
Written, produced and performed by members of the Tulsa Press Club, Tulsa Gridiron parodies the past year’s newsmakers and news events.
Gridiron writer Kerry Malone is producing this year’s show, titled “Dewey Dare? Or Laughter is the Best Public Option,” and Rebecca Ungerman is returning as director — only the second female director in the history of the show.
Karen Keith led the way as the first woman to perform on stage during Gridiron.
P. Casey Morgan joined the Gridiron writers in 1994, becoming the first woman to fill the chief author position in 2000 and then producing the show in 2007.
In 2001 D.J. Morrow Ingram became the first chairwoman of the Gridiron Trust until 2009.
“These achievements were significant because it wasn’t until 1986 that women were allowed to perform in the Gridiron, let alone lead it in any way,” Morgan says.
However, this year, the 77th year of the Tulsa Gridiron, could be its last.
“It comes down to the bottom line,” Ungerman says. “This show is a fund-raiser (for journalism scholarships), and if we can’t raise funds this way, we have to find a different way.”
The good news is, Gridiron is kicking everything up a notch this year.
“We’ve got topnotch returning talent like Bob Hendrick, Sharon King Davis and Kathy LaFortune, plus exciting newcomers such as Natasha Ball, Pam Van Dyke, Meredith Lee Weger and our host, KRMG Morning Master Joe Kelley,” Ungerman says. “The show will be taking pot shots at everything worth shooting at, from local to national headlines, and from both sides of the aisle. Like the show says, Dewey Dare? Yes ... we do.
Performances
March 12-13 in the Liddy Doenges Theatre at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit MyTicketOffice.com or http://twitter.com/tulsa_gridiron.
