VICTORIA — The trickster, Nanabush, appears in various forms throughout this “Rez Sisters” trip.
It’s a sojourn like no other, a drive across the countryside fueled by hopes and visions — and it is one of Canada’s best plays, said Reneltta Arluk, a member of the cast bringing “Sisters” to the Belfry Theatre in Victoria this week through Oct. 19.
The story, conceived in 1986 by the celebrated Cree playwright Tomson Highway, follows seven First Nations women as they head for the Biggest Bingo in the World, a mythical event in Toronto.
To each her own
Each has her reasons for wanting to go, along with her dreams about how a big win would transform her life.
“It’s not very often you get to see seven dynamic Native women on stage,” Arluk said.
Then there’s the trickster, interwoven.
“There is so much love, so much pain — and a lot of laughter,” said the actor, who calls this play — and Highway — beloved all across Canada.
Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, with matinees Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Shows also are set for 1 p.m. this Wednesday and next Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Tickets, which range from $23 and $28 Canadian on Tuesday nights to $42 and $48 on Friday and Saturday nights, are available via 250-385-6815 or www.belfry.bc.ca. Student discounts are available.
In this production, Arluk portrays Emily Dictionary, a “biker chick” and the one who has done the most traveling.
“She wants to make sure her sisters get there,” Arluk said.
“Three are her full sisters, two are older half-sisters, one is an adopted sister, and there’s a sister-in-law who’s very judgmental.
“We have to bring her. She knows how to cook.”
The seven sisters come from different places, but each woman’s story will resonate in some way with the listener, Arluk said.
If there’s a reason to take the MV Coho across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Vancouver Island, this is it, added the actor, who has also appeared in productions of “The Rez Sisters” in Prince George, B.C., and in the Ontario cities of Peterborough and Thunder Bay.
Arluk considers “Sisters” a rich legacy. It is “amazing” to be part of it, she said.
‘Composer by training’
“Tomson Highway’s text is beautiful. He’s a composer by training,” she added.
Arluk, daughter of Inuit-Dene parents, grew up in the Northwest Territories and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
In 2005, she was the first aboriginal woman to graduate from that program.
Arluk appears in the Belfry’s “The Rez Sisters” with Tantoo Cardinal, Tiffany Ayalik, Tasha Faye Evans, Cheri Maracle, Tracey Nepinak, Lisa C. Ravensbergen and Waawaate Fobister.
They bring to life a story that transcends time, she believes.
And the actors who have played Rez Sisters before her are, Arluk says, “my aunties, my great aunties.”
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
