Alyson Mackenzie Stroker (born June 16, 1987) is an American actress, author and singer. She is the first actor who uses a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...

to appear on a

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

stage, and also the first to be nominated for and win a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

. Stroker was a finalist on the second season of ''

The Glee Project ''The Glee Project'' is an American reality television series from Oxygen. It served as an audition for the Fox musical comedy series ''Glee'', and the prize for the winner was a minimum seven-episode arc in the following season of the show. Th ...

'' and later appeared as a guest star on ''Glee'' in 2013. She played Anna in

Deaf West Theatre Deaf West Theatre is a non-profit arts organization based in Los Angeles, California, US. It is most well known for its Tony Award-nominated productions of '' Big River'' and '' Spring Awakening''. Deaf West Theatre is led by artistic director DJ ...

's 2015 revival of '' Spring Awakening'', and won the 2019

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actresses for quality featured roles in a ...

for her performance in ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...

Early life

Ali Stroker grew up in New Jersey with her parents, Jody and Jim Stroker, as well as an older brother, Jake. At the age of two, Stroker and her brother were in a

car accident A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. T ...

that resulted in a

spinal cord injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. It is a destructive neurological and pathological state that causes major motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunctions. Symptoms of ...

that left Ali paralyzed from the waist down. Unable to walk, she uses a

. She attended Ridgewood High School, where she was senior class president and starred in school musicals. Stroker trained with the Summer Musical Theater Conservatory program at the

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater containing approximately 1,200 seats located in Millburn, within Essex County, New Jersey, United States, on the banks of the Rahway River. Due to its relative proximity to Manhattan, the theater draw ...

Millburn, New Jersey Millburn is a suburban Township (New Jersey), township in southwestern Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey, and part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's ...

. In 2007, Ali performed in "Mrs. Sharp" by

Ryan Scott Oliver Ryan Scott Oliver (born August 27, 1984) is an American musical theatre composer and lyricist. He is a 2011 Lucille Lortel Award Nominee and the recipient of both the 2009 Jonathan Larson Grant and the 2008 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Thea ...

at N.Y.U. under the direction of Ryan Mekenian with

Alex Brightman Alexander Michael Brightman (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor and singer, best known for his work in musical theatre. In 2015, he originated the role of Dewey Finn in the musical adaptation of ''School of Rock'', earning him a nomin ...

& Scott Evans also in the cast. In 2009, Stroker became the first actor who uses a wheelchair to earn a degree from the

New York University Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

, with a degree in Fine Arts.

Career

Stroker has given solo performances at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

in Washington, D.C., and New York's Town Hall in addition to concert performances at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

in New York City. Stroker starred in the Paper Mill Playhouse's production of ''

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ''The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'' is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by William Finn, with a book written by Rachel Sheinkin, created by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional ...

''. She later reprised her role in this show at Philadelphia Theatre Company, and that performance earned her a

Barrymore Award The Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre is an annual, nationally-recognized award program that is sponsored by Theatre Philadelphia for professional theater productions in the Greater Philadelphia area. Each season culminates with an awards ...

nomination. In 2012, she auditioned for ''The Glee Project'' and was cast for the 12-episode series. She made it to the final episode and placed second, earning a guest role on ''Glee'', playing Betty Pillsbury, Ms. Pillsbury's niece, in Season 4, Episode 14: "

I Do I Do may refer to: * "I do", a phrase used in some marriage vows; used by brides and grooms in response to questions posed by either the officiant or the other marriage partner Film and TV Film * ''I Do'' (1921 film), a silent comedic short fi ...

". In 2014, she had a role in the film ''Cotton'', also known as "Everyday Miracles". In 2014 and 2015, Stroker had a three-episode role playing Wendy in the MTV series '' Faking It''. In 2015, she made history by becoming the first actor who uses a wheelchair to appear on a Broadway stage. She originated the role of Anna in

's 2015 revival of '' Spring Awakening''. In 2017, Stroker was cast as Tamara in the ABC show ''

Ten Days in the Valley ''Ten Days in the Valley'' is an American drama television series that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 1, 2017, through January 6, 2018. The series, starring Kyra Sedgwick, was ordered direct-to-series on August 4, 2016. ...

''. The series was cancelled after 1 season due to low ratings. In 2018, she played Ado Annie in St. Ann's Warehouse's critically acclaimed revival of ''

'' The production transferred to Broadway's

Circle in the Square Theatre The Circle in the Square Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 50th Street, within the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. The current Broadway theater, completed in 1972, i ...

in 2019, earning Stroker a

, making her the first person with a disability to be nominated for and to receive that award. In 2020, she was in Lifetime's ''Christmas Ever After'', airing on December 6, 2020. In 2021, she played Detective Allison Mulaney on the police procedural television series ''Blue Bloods'', and played Paulette on the mystery-comedy television series ''

Only Murders in the Building , creator = Steve Martin & John Hoffman , starring = {{Plainlist, * Steve Martin * Martin Short * Selena Gomez * Aaron Dominguez * Amy Ryan * Cara Delevingne * Adina Verson * Michael Cyril Creighton , music ...

''. In 2024, she sang the

American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...

during the

2024 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony The closing ceremony of the 2024 Summer Paralympics took place at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis, France, on 8 September 2024. The ceremony featured cultural presentations from both the current (France) and f ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Advocacy

Stroker co-chaired an awards luncheon in 2016 for Women Who Care, which supports

United Cerebral Palsy United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) is an international nonprofit charitable organization consisting of a network of affiliates. UCP is a leading service provider and advocate for adults and children with disabilities. As one of the largest health nonpro ...

of New York City. She is a founding member of Be More Heroic, an anti-bullying campaign which tours the country connecting with thousands of students each year. She has gone to South Africa with ARTS InsideOut where she has held theater classes and workshops for women and children affected by

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

Personal life

Stroker is bisexual and dated fellow ''

'' contestant Dani Shay from 2012 to 2015. Stroker attended the 2019 Tony Awards with her then-boyfriend (now husband), theater director and actor David Perlow. She and Perlow reconnected in 2015 and are founding directors of ATTENTIONTheatre.

Credits

Film and television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stroker, Ali 1987 births 21st-century American women singers Actors with disabilities Actresses from Ridgewood, New Jersey American actors with disabilities American bisexual actresses American bisexual musicians American LGBTQ singers American stage actresses American television actresses American wheelchair users Bisexual singers Bisexual women musicians LGBTQ people from New Jersey LGBTQ women singers Living people Musicians from Ridgewood, New Jersey People with paraplegia Ridgewood High School (New Jersey) alumni Singers from New Jersey Tisch School of the Arts alumni Tony Award winners