Jodie Howard wasted no time buying tickets when she discovered that “Hamilton,” her daughter Rosie’s favorite Broadway musical, was headed to their neighborhood movie theater.
With a preview that invited participation, Howard couldn’t wait to watch Rosie react to seeing her most-loved production on the big screen.
Rosie was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological condition that affects muscle coordination and mobility. In her case, it also impacts her cognitive abilities, and Rosie is intellectually disabled.
“She’s very limited verbally, but she’s just the most joyous human being on the planet,” Howard tells TODAY.com. “When something really excites her … you’re going to know about it.”
That was the case when the lights went down in the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Ashburn, Virginia, during a matinee on Sept. 13. As soon as the music started, Rosie — who knows all of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs and lyrics by heart — began expressing her delight.
“There was even a preview that aired *right* before our movie began, inviting audience participation… That’s exactly what Rosie did,” Howard wrote in a Facebook post. “She sat upright in her chair, leaning fully into the screen. She sang, laughed, clapped with joy. She was electric with happiness!!”
Entertainment News
A few numbers into the musical, Howard was startled when a manager approached to inform them of a noise complaint. At Alamo Drafthouse, a single warning is all that’s allowed: The official policystates that disruptive guests, including those talking or texting, must leave immediately, without a refund.
The Alamo Drafthouse offers a program called “Alamo for All” for guests with special needs, featuring dimmed sound, brighter lighting and relaxed rules that allow talking and movement during the film. But since the event was promoted by the studio as participatory, Howard wasn’t concerned about attending a standard screening.
“I was flabbergasted. I said, ‘The whole premise of this showing is that it’s supposed to be interactive,’” Howard recalls. “But he was like, ‘It doesn’t matter. You’re going to have to leave.’”
Howard explained that Rosie is an adult living with disabilities who sometimes struggles to regulate her emotions, and the manager would not budge. But Howard was equally resolute.
“One of Rosie’s greatest joys is going to the movies,” Howard says, noting that it’s a safe and accessible activity for someone in a wheelchair with cognitive impairments.
At intermission, Howard says she checked with fellow patrons to see if Rosie was disturbing anyone. One woman in the back identified herself as the person who had complained, and then promptly walked out. Howard assumed the matter was settled.
But it wasn’t. The manager returned.
“It was three hours of harassment and mishandling,” Howard says.
In her Facebook post, Howard described how Rosie, aware of what was happening, “had shrunk” and was now turning away from the screen, “attempting to silence herself to comply.”
“That was the most heartbreaking part for me,” Howard tells TODAY.com, “Just watching my daughter withdraw into herself and squeeze my hand as tightly as she could. Rosie didn’t know where to go or what to do. She was taking it all in, but she isn’t verbally equipped to process it with me, and that’s really hard.”
And yet, something beautiful emerged, one of the reasons Howard says she shared her post. Yes, she wanted to call out the Alamo Drafthouse, but she also hoped to celebrate the compassion of others.
When two security guards were sent in to remove Howard and Rosie, other movie-goers stepped in to defend them. Howard recounted the scene on Facebook.
“The theater of strangers rose up in support: ‘She’s not disruptive. Let her stay. YOU are the disruption,’” Howard wrote. “They spoke practically in unison. I was able to exhale, at least a little.”
After the credits rolled, Rosie was surrounded by people who expressed their relief and happiness that she had stayed, drawing a smile from her. Howard says that one of the security guards even followed her into the parking lot to apologize.
She hopes the incident will prompt more training about interacting with people with disabilities and will encourage staff to respond with greater sensitivity. She says she’s also written a formal letter to corporate detailing her experience.
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema responded publicly on Facebook to Howard post, offering an apology to both her and Rosie.
“We are taking action to ensure this does not happen again,” the statement read, in part. “We’re aware that the management of the Loudon franchise location was in touch with you directly following this incident, but we’d love for you to DM us when you can — we’d be happy to connect directly and send Rosie something special.”
A spokesperson from Alamo confirmed that the Facebook posting was the company’s official response.
As the theater reached out, Howard focused on Rosie herself, and the light her daughter brings to everyone around her.
“One of the things I know about Rosie is that she’s here to teach us. She’s such a gift, the way she moves through humanity,” Howard says. “She loves people, she loves connecting, and she shows us so much about compassion. That’s why, as her family, we try to place her in spaces where she can be part a part of the community. So to see her diminished in any way, it just broke my heart.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY: