Welcome back to the BodPod! Today, we are thrilled to have Ali Stroker on the show! Ali is a New York-based actor, singer, and author who won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Ado Annie in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma. She has also appeared in a number of series including The Glee Project, Ozark, Only Murders in the Building, Ten Days in the Valley, and will be appearing as a series regular in Netflix’s upcoming limited series Echoes. Ali made history as the first actor who uses a wheelchair to appear on Broadway in the 2015 revival of Spring Awakening and continues to delight audiences through her soloing and theatrical performances. She recently co-wrote a novel, The Chance to Fly, and is gearing up to release her debut picture book, Ali and the Sea Stars, later this spring.
In this episode, Ali will share with us her back story, her experience growing up, and how she discovered her passion for theatre. Ali will also discuss her body confidence journey including her relationship with her body, clothes and food, as well as being in a body that you can’t feel. Besides this, we’ll chat about being othered, looking in the mirror for fun versus to be critical, and how our feelings about our bodies change when we want to be desired. Last but not least, Ali will talk about how external messages have shaped how she thought about her body and what being the first actor to use a wheelchair to appear on Broadway has taught her. Keep listening to hear how Ali is working to improve the lives of others through the arts, disabled or not.
Instagram: @alistroker
Website: https://www.alistroker.com/
Book: The Chance to Fly
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