Ali Stroker On Her Historic Tony Win for ‘Oklahoma’: “It Inspires People To Keep Going”
Anyone watching the Tony Awards from the official media room got a clear sign that history was apt to be made: For the first time in recent memory, the small stage where winners would be taken for brief Q&As had a wheelchair ramp.That logistical addition to the room inside the 3 West Club across the street from Radio City Music Hall preceded Ali Stroker’s win for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her turn in Oklahoma.
The victory by the Oklahoma star, who has been paralyzed since a car accident when she was 2 years old, was the first Tony to go to an actor in a wheelchair.Stroker, 21, arrived and left the room to loud applause.
The 31-year-old, who has also starred in TV’s The Glee Project and Ten Days in the Valley, recalled the reactions she has gotten from her performance and its impact.