Shakespearean actor Rose Ayling-Ellis has spoken out against a man who interrupted her performance.
The Strictly Come Dancing winner, 28, was on stage at Soho Place performing classic comedy As You Like It.
Rose’s casting has proved particularly popular, as Rose, who is deaf, performs Shakespeare through a mix of signing and speech.
Rose Ayling-Ellis performs Shakespeare
However, one audience member was less than pleased with her inclusive performance, and chose to interrupt a matinee over the weekend.
Taking to Instagram, Rose explained the ‘shocking’ moment to her 540,000 followers.
View this post on Instagram
“An angry man in the audience interrupted the show with an entitled rant screaming that we were ‘discriminating against hearing people!'” she wrote. “He looks at me directly. It was shocking.
“The video is the reaction when we got back on the stage after he was kicked off. We pick up from Touchstone’s line: ‘The more pity that fools may not speak wisely what wise men do foolishly.'”
Rose continued to explain how the rest of the audience was enthralled by the play.
Keep going, you’re doing brilliantly
“In the same audience, a little deaf girl sat in the front row with her parents signing to her,” she wrote.
“Deaf members of the audience are able to sit wherever they want and whenever they want. Hearing people reading the captions, laughing and reacting to our signing on stage, coming into our world and understanding Shakespeare because of this.
“Two days ago, we had a BSL performance show, and 106 deaf people turn up.
“This is why we do accessible theatre.”
Fans defend the Strictly Come Dancing star
Fans were quick to issue their support to Rose, expressing their fury that her performance had been interrupted.
“I’m so sorry that happened Rose,” one pal wrote. “It just goes to show how some people see accessibility and inclusion as a zero sum game. Keep going, you’re doing brilliantly.”
Meanwhile former BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker wrote of her interruptor: “What a numptie!”
Actor Ruth Madeley wrote: “What a [bleep]! You’re legendary, my girl.”
A third person emotionally added: “Oh Rose! I was captivated by your performance and was on the verge of tears at his ranting.
“Although I can hear, both my parents are deaf. I have grown up watching the prejudice and fight with my own eyes. Thank you (the cast and team) for standing up to the un-wise fools out there.”
Read more: Rose Ayling-Ellis tells off Giovanni Pernice for his comment about her
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