Archived News Release from 2003

For Immediate Release

Tragic event in Choctaw history dramatized at the library

Redwood City, CA - October 17, 2003 - The Friends of the Redwood City Public Library are sponsoring the professional theater group “Word for Word” once again, for a FREE performance of “The Killing Blanket,” on Thursday, October 23 at 7:30 pm. in the community room of the Main Library, 1044 Middlefield Road. The program is open to the public, and appropriate for teens and adults.

“Word for Word” actors will use music, dance and words to dramatize the short story by Rilla Askew, Oklahoma native, novelist, and author of short stories who was awarded the Oklahoma Book Award in 1993 for Strange Business, and whose short stories appeared in Prize Stories 1993: O. Henry Awards Anthology.

The “Killing Blanket” is based on an actual event involving the Choctaw Indians in Oklahoma in 1892 which divided the tribe into opposing camps: those that advocated reconciliation with the U.S. government, and those that opposed it. The division ended with tragic results.

“Word for Word” is a San Francisco-based professional theater company that stages short stories or portions of books, performing every word the author has written. Their goal is to “excite children and adults about the written word, to inspire them to read more and to share the world’s diverse cultures and stories”. They bring ‘literature to its feet,’ combining written, spoken, and physical action to make the stories come alive. More than 20,000 people a year attend their public performances throughout the Bay Area.

The Redwood City Public Library offers many free programs for children, adults, and families, and helps our community to “understand the past, prepare for the future, and thrive in the present.” For more information about library events and services you may access the library’s home page at www.rcpl.info or call 780-7026.

Visit Redwood City’s main website at www.redwoodcity.org for information about the City and its services, the community, recreation programs, education, City government, and local business.

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Contact: Celia LaRiviere
Resource Development Supervisor
650-780-7045