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'Hadestown' producers apologize to theatergoer with hearing loss after she was 'reprimanded' by actor

Samantha Coleman said she was "reprimanded" for being on her phone during the show when actually, she was using a captioning device provided to her by the theater.
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The Walter Kerr Theatre, showing the Hadestown musical, in the Times Square neighborhood of New York, U.S., on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images
/ Source: TODAY

The producers of "Hadestown" on Broadway and its theater are apologizing to a theatergoer after she was "reprimanded" by an actor during a performance for being on her phone. The woman — who has hearing loss — was actually using a captioning device provided to her by the theater to help her better experience the show.

Samantha Coleman shared the incident on Instagram in a video on Wednesday, Oct. 12, saying that actor Lillias White called her out "not once but twice at least" during the performance earlier that day, drawing attention to her. Coleman said White thought she was recording the show with her phone.

Coleman and White did not immediately respond to TODAY’s request for comment.

"I'm sure she wasn't the only person who thought that," Coleman said in the video. "But she was the only person to call me out."

Coleman's Instagram bio says she is "deafblind — late hard of hearing and progressive vision loss." (Late hard of hearing refers to someone who grew up hearing, but then lost most or all of their hearing as an adult.)

Coleman said in the video: "I think it's a misunderstanding but we still have to talk about it."

"I see this as an opportunity for conversation, education, and change," she added in the caption. "I desperately hope my story can prevent another horrifying and embarrassing experience for someone else. (it was my worst fear, and it was realized. i don’t know if/when i’ll feel comfortable using a captioning devices again.)"

The technology Coleman used is relatively new to Broadway. It’s been available for just over two years, not including the shutdown. Coleman shared a photo of what the captioning device looks like on her Instagram stories.

Coleman shared a photo of a captioning device from the Broadway production of "Into the Woods" on her Instagram stories.
Coleman shared a photo of a captioning device from the Broadway production of "Into the Woods" on her Instagram stories.Samantha Coleman / Instagram

"Hadestown" and Jujamcyn Theatres — the family of theaters who own the Walter Kerr where "Hadestown" is playing — told TODAY in a statement provided via email 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," the statement continued. "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.”

In their communications with Coleman, they also invited her to return to the show as their guest.