The producers of Broadway’s “Hadestown” issued an apology Thursday to an audience member who was repeatedly reprimanded by a cast member while attending a performance this week.
The production apologized after the audience member, Samantha Coleman, shared her experience on Instagram. Coleman explained that the cast member, Lillias White, mistook her captioning device for a recording device and shamed her multiple times from the stage for allegedly taping the show. Coleman — also an actor based in New York — identifies as a deafblind person who is late-hard of hearing with progressive vision loss.
“Hadestown and Jujamcyn Theatres have a commitment to accessibility in all forms. The incident yesterday is a reminder that this is an ongoing process needing constant revisiting and renewal,” the production said in a statement provided to the Los Angeles Times.
“Providing access is also about educating everyone in the theater about how we can be more supportive. We are reviewing our policies and internal protocols to ensure this doesn’t happen again. The production connected directly with Samantha earlier today to convey their apologies and thank her for bringing this to their attention so that it can be addressed.”
The “Hadestown” team has also invited Coleman to return to the show as its guest. Accounting for time lost to the pandemic shutdown, GalaPro captioning devices have been available on the Broadway circuit for about two years.
“I’m sure [White] wasn’t the only person onstage that might have thought that” the captioning device was a recording device, Coleman said in an Instagram reel. “She was the only person, however, to call me out. … I don’t think this is inherently her malice. I think it’s a misunderstanding. But we still need to talk about it.
“There is a systemic issue in the theater … industry — specifically with Broadway — about accessibility and inclusion, and some of that has been changed by the creation of technology like captioning devices so people can be able to experience a show they may not have been able to before,” Coleman continued.
“To be ostracized and publicly ridiculed really hurts. It was super embarrassing. The people who need to use these devices should feel comfortable and confident in seeing a Broadway show and not be met with shame and embarrassment and anxiety.”
