‘Hadestown’ & Jujamcyn Theaters Apologize And Reaffirm “Commitment To Accessibility” After Actor Calls Out Hearing-Impaired Audience Member Using Captioning Device

deadline.com:

The producers of Broadway’s Hadestown and Jujamcyn Theaters have apologized to an audience member with hearing loss whose use of a captioning device drew repeated onstage reprimands from one of the musical’s stars who mistakenly assumed the device was recording the performance.

Audience member Samantha Coleman posted a tearful Instagram video last night describing the “horrifying and embarrassing experience” of being called out by Lillias White from the stage “not once but twice, at least.” She said the incident was both hurtful and “super embarrassing” and left her feeling “ostracized and publicly ridiculed.” Coleman, who was seated in the front row at the Jujamcyn-owned Walter Kerr Theatre, acknowledged that she didn’t believe White acted out of malice but rather misunderstanding. “But we still need to talk about it,” Coleman said.

White joined the show just last month, succeeding André De Shields in the role of Hermes. Watch Coleman’s Instagram video below.

In a statement provided to Deadline, the musical’s producers, along with Jujamcyn, affirmed their “commitment to accessibility in all forms.” “The incident yesterday is a reminder that this is an ongoing process needing constant revisiting and renewal,” the statement continues. “Providing access is also about educating everyone in the theater about how we can be more supportive.