Tearful woman gets apology after Broadway actor accused her of recording show

While sitting in the front row of the Broadway production of Hadestown, a woman with hearing loss says she was called out by an actor on stage for recording when really she was using a closed captioning device.

Samantha Coleman shared her experience of being "publicly ridiculed" via Instagram Reel saying it was "super embarrassing" and hurtful.

Coleman, who uses closed-captioning devices during productions due to her hearing loss, says Lillias White (who plays Hermes), confused her device for a recording device and called her out from the stage "not once but twice.

"I'm sure she wasn't the only person on the stage that might have thought that," Coleman explained. "She was the only person, however, to call me out."

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Teary-eyed, Coleman explained that to be "ostracized and publicly ridiculed really hurts" but took the opportunity to advocate for accessibility for Broadway attendees.

"Theatre systemically is an exclusionary space for people who are disabled, has always been. This is just shining a light to that," Coleman wrote in her caption.

"We are just now reaching the technological peak, where tech can allow more people to see & understand theatre. As we continue to make inclusionary progress in the audience tech, how do we create an equitable experience for every person in the building?" She added.

Hadestown said in a statement they "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," a rep for Hadestown said. "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 show also said they connected privately with Coleman to apologize and remedy the situation.

Coleman wrote in her Instagram Reel caption that she hopes her experience "can prevent another horrifying and embarrassing experience for someone else."

We reached out to Hadestown for comment.

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