Taking center stage

Rebecca Coates and Luigi Quesada are no strangers to the theater scene. See them take their acting to new heights with their roles in the off-Broadway musical ‘Dani Girl.’

MANILA, Philippines - Fresh talent is on the bill for Sandbox Collective’s maiden act. With only a few weeks left until opening night, 16-year-olds Rebecca Coates and Luigi Quesada find themselves in the shoes of two cancer patients for their production, Dani Girl.

It was Independence Day and the rest of Manila was probably sleeping in for the holiday, but Rebecca and Luigi clocked in at 7:45 a.m. for another day of rehearsals. These two young performers will be playing the lead roles of nine-year-old leukemia patient Dani Lyons, and her pediatric oncology roommate Marty, in a reimagining of Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond’s musical that is noted for tugging — heck, yanking — our heartstrings, depending on whether you’re a rock or not.

“People are going to cry. A lot,” said Luigi. “But if you’re open-minded, Dani Girl is not really a sad story.”

The narrative follows the strong-headed Dani as she decides to act, rather than resign herself to her condition. With geeky Marty, her guardian angel Raph, and trusty teddy bear Mr. Fritz, she goes on an imaginary adventure to get back the hair that she lost to chemotherapy.

“It’s more than just two kids battling cancer. It’s a story of finding your inner child again, relationships, acceptance, and letting go,” Rebecca explained.

As up-and-coming theater group Sandbox Collective’s first production, managing artistic director Toff de Venecia takes the reins of the show with the roster including Mitzie Lao, Lorenz Martinez, Reb Atadero, Shiela Valderrama, and Pam Imperial. Along with their two youngest cast members, this show promises a musical that’s good for the soul.

Enter the damsel

It’s not so hard to notice Rebecca Coates in a room. She has a cheerful confidence you’d expect from someone who’s very used to being in front of people.

For this incoming high school senior at Enfuego Christian Academy, theater has been present in her life for as long as she can remember. Rebecca and her sister were homeschooled for eight years, during which their mom got them to sing along to Bible passages and dance to The Alphabet Song.

“I was pretty dramatic as a child,” laughed Rebecca, whose first role was playing a pretty little sunflower.

Since then, she’s taken theater workshops and finally landed a professional role as Luisa in Resorts World’s staging of The Sound of Music back in 2008. And recently, when a Facebook ad called for open auditions, Rebecca made sure she was there, opting for the role that required a “9-year old precocious, imaginative girl.”

“It’s fun playing a character that you can sympathize with. Dani is a kid who doesn’t really get things yet. I’m a kid who doesn’t really get things yet. We’re not yet grownups, and that’s okay,” said Rebecca who got her own teddy bear to play Dani’s Mr. Fritz.

“But this role is different from the previous ones I’ve played before. (Cancer) is not an easy topic, but it’s something that should be talked about, and as a performer, you really need to bring yourself to another place to find it in yourself to perform this truthfully.”

Undoubtedly, acting has a special place in Rebecca’s heart, but she quickly added that her prospective business card might also include wedding planner, children’s book author, and occupational therapist. “I want to have lots of things.”

With genuine passion in her eyes, it’s likely this fine young lady can certainly wear any hat she wants.

About a boy

When the Dani Girl auditions were called, Luigi Quesada was first in line. “I got there, sang my song, and left. I didn’t really expect anything,” he recalled. “It didn’t even say ‘Sandbox’ yet, but I felt it was something I really needed to do.”

When he got a stint as John in Repertory Philippines’ Peter Pan in 2011, Luigi knew he wanted more. “When you’re 12 years old and you get to fly onstage, you’re like, ‘This is great.’”

He grew up surrounded by the performing arts, vividly remembering that time in the ‘90s when musicals were aplenty, Beauty and the Beast being one of the first he saw. Luigi was also supported by a family that is very artistically inclined, and thus acting came naturally to him.

“Playing a character reveals parts of you that you never knew existed. That’s what I like about theater,” he said. Luigi has been practicing being the bespectacled Marty so much, he has acquired the habit of fixing his eyeglasses, though he doesn’t actually wear them in real life.

Judging by the way he talks about his work, it cannot be denied that Luigi is very dedicated to the performing arts, even considering a double degree in theater and literature for college.

“How much you do something depends on how much you love it,” he mused. “A lot of people are putting me down and telling me I won’t make money out of theater, though I’ve never really been bothered by them. I actually don’t think you even need a college major for this. If you have the passion for it, then you should be able to continue doing it.”

There is something about these two kids that seems positively unapologetic, probably from knowing that as soon as you set foot onstage, it’s always too late to back out. Then again, in a crazy world like theater where you can be whatever you want to be, being yourself may be the most important thing you must remember — next to your lines, of course.