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For sisters Rachel, Becca Coates, theater is their second home

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Leah C. Salterio

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/03/22/coates-1.jpg"/><figcaption>Rachel and Becca Coates. Handout</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA -- Sisters Rachel and Becca Coates have been doing professional theater for more than a decade now. They’ve previously done theater productions together from the time they were kids. Their first professional foray into theater was in Resort&#x27;s World Manila&#x27;s “The Sound of Music,” where they played sisters.“We got to share the stage for some time there, then also got to spend some time as alternates,” shared Becca about their theater debut.The girls subsequently played Flora and Dora, the dancing flowers, in “Alice in Wonderland,” for Repertory Philippines Theater for Young Audiences.In Repertory Philippines’ latest production, “Father’s Day,” which opens Friday at Onstage in Greenbelt 1, Makati City, Rachel and Becca are alternating on the role of Christine, the 16-year-old Goth girlfriend of the lead character&#x27;s estranged son.“Father’s Day” is a witty, no-holds-barred play about imperfect families. According to Becca, the British comedy is about people who thought they&#x27;d never have to see each other again spending a whole day together. “It&#x27;s charm lies in its wit and its very human characters and situations. I absolutely love the play.”It also marks the comeback of theater legend Baby Barredo to the director’s chair.“Rachel and I both auditioned for the role of Christine and our director, Tita Baby, was kind enough to both give us a shot at the part,” Becca said.“This is the first time we&#x27;re rehearsing together and alternating in a role,” Rachel added. “It&#x27;s always super fun. We received a copy of the script and fell in love with it completely.”When the sisters learned it was Barredo who will be directing, they “jumped at the opportunity because when you rehearse with her, you always come away with a new nugget of wisdom to use onstage,” Rachel said.<div>ALTERNATES</div>Since they both have to juggle theater with their studies, the girls intelligently divided their shows, alternating on the role of Christine. They do four shows a week, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with Saturday matinees.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/03/22/coates-2.jpg"/><figcaption>Becca Coates as Christine in &#x27;Father&#x27;s Day.&#x27; Handout</figcaption></figure></div>“One good thing about being alternates is that we can switch shows around in case of school or emergencies,” Rachel explained. “If anyone would like to know who&#x27;s performing what day, then they can probably ask us personally,” Becca said. “Christine is a challenging role because she is onstage very briefly. It&#x27;s a special challenge for me to build a role in just a few minutes.”Rachel’s most recent production was in Red Turnip Theater&#x27;s “A Doll&#x27;s House, Part 2,” staged last year. She played the role of Emmy and got to share the stage with the likes of Carlitos Siguion-Reyna, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and Shiela Francisco. At the helm was Cris Villonco.“Emmy in ‘A Doll’s House, Part 2’ was such a challenging role and was definitely my favorite,” Rachel said. “Being surrounded by the actors I admire and a director I could&#x27;ve only dreamed to have worked with, I can only radiate gratitude.”Becca, meanwhile, played the lead in Repertory Philippines&#x27; “Agnes of God” back in 2017. Before that, she was in “Dani Girl” by The Sandbox Collective, “The Secret Garden” by Repertory Philippines, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Alice in Wonderland” by Repertory Philippines Theatre for Young Audiences and “The Sound of Music” by Resorts World Manila.<div>SCHOOL AND WORK</div>When it comes to studies, Rachel is in her last couple of months at Ateneo de Manila University completing an AB Communications degree.“It&#x27;s tough balancing work and school for sure, but the P2P bus has made it a lot easier to get to rehearsals from class,” she said. “A lot of time management is necessary.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/03/22/coates-3.jpg"/><figcaption>Rachel Coates as Christine in &#x27;Father&#x27;s Day.&#x27; Handout</figcaption></figure></div>“I&#x27;m best friends with the Reminders app on my phone. I&#x27;ve been a working student for as long as I can remember, so I think I&#x27;m getting used to the balance. I just want to give 100 percent of myself to every aspect of my life and take steps to get there every day.”Becca is presently a third-year student at De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute, taking up Speech and Language Pathology. “The mushy, motivational answer is that you need to want both things – the course and the stage – 100 percent,” she said. “I love my student-actor double life and I&#x27;m so grateful I have the opportunity to live it. My logical, sensible answer would be to be transparent about your schedule (always), get as much sleep as possible and never let go of your planner. And pray for strength a lot.”Both girls were home-schooled while growing up.“Becca and I always used to play make believe games together,” Rachel recalled. “We used to read a lot as kids. Storytelling fuels us; theatre was the logical next step.”Becca insists: “I just loved putting on a character and I still do. It&#x27;s fun to escape yourself for a little while and let go of control, especially if you&#x27;re inclined to be a control freak like me.“I&#x27;ve taken some singing lessons before but since I&#x27;ve entered college it&#x27;s gotten difficult to be consistent. It&#x27;s good to go regularly, though! I sing too much, honestly. Even when I&#x27;m not supposed to.”<div>LEARNING FROM THE BEST</div>Since they started singing and acting back when they were still kids, Rachel and Becca have had the privilege of working with esteemed and respected names in the theater and entertainment industry.“I always look up to my co-actors in whatever show I may be in,” Rachel proudly said. “Being scene partners requires such a degree of trust that to me, they become the object of my respect in that moment.” Becca, for her part, also doesn’t want to single out anyone in particular. “There are actors I can&#x27;t believe I&#x27;ve even gotten to work with,” she enthused. “I don&#x27;t want to name names because there are truly too many. But I really admire swings who are ready to take on any role and are such triple threats. They are superhuman.“<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/03/22/coates-4.jpg"/><figcaption>Rachel and Becca Coates with their parents Graham and Lori Coates. Handout</figcaption></figure></div>Thankfully, the girls have the most “supportive parents,” Graham and Lori Coates, who are with their daughters in every step of the way, be it in their studies, acting profession, musical endeavors or even in their other personal activities without hardly prying.“They never pushed any kind of career on me and have always been the dream, no-drama stage parents,” Becca said of her parents. “I love being in shows with my sister, even when we don&#x27;t get to act together.”Mom Lori cannot be any prouder about how her daughters have managed to survive in the cutthroat competition of the theater world, yet still go through their studies, with hardly any complains.Notably, the sisters’ love for each other constantly keeps them going. After all, there are only two of them in the brood. (Rachel is the older one.)“Amidst all the harshness and challenges of being in theater and just surviving the stress of college life, at the end of the day, one of the things that has really helped them get through all of that is their strong love for each other,” mom Lori noted. “I see that love everyday between them.”<div>SIBLING RIVALRY?</div>The sisters hardly see each other during the week, since Rachel goes to Ateneo and stays in a condominium unit in Quezon City on weekdays, while Becca drives to La Salle daily. “Rachel and I joke that we never see each other because we&#x27;re always at school or work. Now, I get to see her at work, so how can I complain? The usual questions arise when it comes to sisters working together – especially sharing a part. I do think we&#x27;re competitive, but in a healthy way.”Since they both move in the same professional circle, Rachel and Becca are resigned to the fact that people tend to compare them inevitably. They know the same people. They work with most of the actors previously. But they are both cool about it.“Being in the theater world with my sister is always going to be tough, because of the comparisons people will always make,” Rachel maintained. “Especially when we find ourselves sharing a stage or being alternates. However, she&#x27;s also my home away from home.“Becca&#x27;s always got my back. With her, work never feels like work. At the end of the day, the theater belongs to everyone. It&#x27;s impossible to feel constrained or suffocated because the world you create is infinite. She&#x27;s my favorite person to be someone else with.”The younger sister feels the same. “Life would be the pits if we weren&#x27;t competitive,” Becca reasoned out. “I think it&#x27;s inevitable that people may compare us, but that&#x27;s the way the cookie crumbles. So what? I have a very different perspective on all of it. I get to sit by her as we watch the masters at work in rehearsals.“I get to go over the script with her when I don&#x27;t understand it. I get to laugh with her about the dumb ideas we bounce off each other for the part of Christine. I get to work with an amazing actor and my sister all in one. It will always mean the world to me.”

Sisters Rachel and Becca Coates have been doing professional theater for more than a decade now.

Sisters Rachel and Becca Coates have been doing professional theater for more than a decade now.