The Rez Sisters

The Rez Sisters Imagery

Toilet

Philomena opens the door to the bathroom while she is on the toilet to yell at Emily. This moment is a humorous one, showing the chaos and disorder of the fights between the women, the way that they cross each other's boundaries and have a chaotic kind of intimacy. Then, later, Philomena uses her bingo winnings to purchase a new toilet, and describes it in expressive language.

Nanabush and Zhaboonigan

Nanabush dances and contorts after Zhaboonigan tells her story of being raped. This imagery shows us the pain of her experience as expressed through the movement of the spirit on stage. It is a non-literal and emotional representation of the pain and trauma that Zhaboonigan has experienced.

Invisible Chief

The women go to the chief in order to ask him to fund their trip to Toronto. We don't see him but we hear him say "no." This representation of the chief, the fact that he is not actually a physical character onstage, but an invisible representation, shows us that the women and their response to the situation is the central focus of the scene, and highlights the fact that they must look out for themselves.

Bingo

The "BIGGEST BINGO IN THE WORLD" is represented in a non-literal, but highly vivid and imagistic way. At one point, Highway describes the stage setting for the bingo as looking like the iconic image of "The Last Supper." When all chaos breaks loose, bingo cards fly through the air and chaos erupts, as Marie-Adele dances with the mysterious and alluring Bingo Master.