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“Stefan wasn’t screaming or doing anything. He was very calmly and simply saying ‘hi’ to the person he thought was Raffi, because he thought he was going to be coming out.”

Nevertheless, five minutes before showtime, the Burns say they were visited at their seats by a member of the Bushnell’s security team.

“She proceeds to say that the artist would not be able to perform if we remained in our seats,” David said.

Unlike those who suffer from some neurological disorders and can become highly and uncontrollably vocal when exposed to sensory stimulation, Angelman patients have no difficulty remaining quiet and calm during live performances. Stefan has quietly enjoyed “hundreds of shows,” his father said.

David said he explained that to the Bushnell security representative, who still insisted the family move to the back of the theater.

But Stefan wasn’t having it, according to his father. When he explained to his son what the Bushnell employee was requesting, Stefan got up, moved to a nearby seat in the next aisle, and sat back down. Rather than create a scene where security people would be forced to physically move his son, David suggested they provide the family with a wheelchair, which they used to take Stefan from the premises.

“It was very traumatic for my son, and devastating and traumatic for us as well,” according to Roberta, who said it took her family nearly a month “to process” what happened. During that time, David said the family went to see the “Shrek” musical at the Toyota Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, which Stefan greatly — and quietly — enjoyed.

When Roberta eventually related the incident on Facebook, social media did what social media does. Amidst an out pour of sympathy, friends connected the family with disability rights groups, and 6th District State Sen. Rick Lopes, who represents Berlin, New Britain and Farmingdale.

The Bushnell, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, is Connecticut’s largest arts organization, with an articulated commitment to inclusion. A spokesperson for the theater told Patch in an email: “We are saddened by Stefan’s recent experience and have been in close communication with the Burn family. We are working to set up a meeting with Stefan and Attorney General Tong in the near future.”

Roberta Burn disputes the theater’s claims to outreach. She told us the only time she or her husband has spoken with anyone from Bushnell was two weeks after the show for a ticket refund, and the meeting with Tong’s office was one she had arranged herself.

With the ear of a state senator and the AG, and an outcry in social media, the Burn family has marshalled its battalions. But what will constitute a victory?

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“We believe in inclusion, and we believe that our strength is in our diversity,” David said. “Just because someone is different — we’ll call it a ‘disability’ — doesn’t mean they’re not like you and me, that they don’t have the same hopes and dreams. We don’t want to see anybody else be excluded and have to go through this.

“And we were pretty sure if it’s happened once, that may have happened before it could happen again. So we don’t want that to happen.”

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