Ali Stroker

Ali Stroker (born June 16, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the first actress who needs a wheelchair for mobility known to have appeared on a Broadway stage. Ali was part of The Glee Project, and won a guest starring role on Glee in 2013. She played the role of Anna in Deaf West's 2015 revival of Spring Awakening.

Stroker grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey with her parents, Jody Schleicher and Jim Stroker, as well as an older brother, Jake, and a younger sister, Tory.

At the age of two Stroker was in a car accident that left her unable to walk due to a spinal cord injury. She is a wheelchair user, due to being paralyzed from the chest down. At the age of 7 she saw her first Broadway show and realized at that moment that was what she wanted to do. Ever since then she was determined because there were no role models for girls in wheelchairs on Broadway.

Stroker trained with the Summer Musical Theater Conservatory program at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey.

In 2009, Ali became the first actress in a wheelchair to earn a degree from the New York University Tisch Drama Department, with a degree in Fine Arts.

Stroker has had solo performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and New York's Town Hall in addition to concert performances at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Stroker starred in the Paper Mill Playhouse's production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This performance earned Ali a Barrymore Award nomination, and remarkable praise when reprised at the Paper Mill Playhouse.

In 2011, Stroker made an appearance in the short, I Was a Mermaid and Now I'm a Pop Star. Then in 2012, Stroker auditioned for The Glee Project and was cast for the 12 episode series. Ali made it to the final episode and placed second, earning a guest role on Glee. In 2013, Ali played Betty Pillsbury, Ms. Pilsbury's niece on Glee in Season 4, Episode 14 "I Do".

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