A quick guide to Kwanzaa
The holiday, which serves as a nationwide communal event reinforcing self-determination and unity in the face of oppression, spans seven…
Ali Stroker accepts the Featured Actress in a Musical award for "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!" Photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters
Ali Stroker becomes first actor in a wheelchair to win a Tony Award
NEW YORK (AP) — When she sings, Ali Stroker says, she has "no limitations."
That was clear on Sunday as Stroker performed and made history as the first actor in a wheelchair to capture a Tony Award. She earned the trophy for her portrayal of Ado Annie in Daniel Fish's dark revisionist revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "Oklahoma!"
"This award is for every kid who is watching tonight who has a disability, who has a limitation or a challenge, who has been waiting to see themselves represented in this arena," Stroker, who won for best featured actress in a musical, said on stage. "You are."
Dressed in a neon yellow off-shoulder gown designed by her friend, Rachel Antonoff, Stroker told The Associated Press on the red carpet before the ceremony that her "Oklahoma!" part is "just a dream come true," adding: "I've been singing since I was 7 years old and for me singing is where I have no limitations. It is where I feel most powerful, and my voice and the ability to create music has, I think, really brought me out of all of the hardship that I've been through, and it's brought me here today into my most powerful self."
She noted one in five Americans lives with a disability.
The 31-year-old Stroker, who was the first person in a wheelchair to appear on Broadway back in 2015 in "Spring Awakening," was paralyzed from the chest down due to a car crash when she was 2.
The "Oklahoma!" producer Eva Price told the AP on Sunday that Stroker is the perfect Ado Annie.
"It was clear from her humor, her heart, who she is, the way she spoke these lyrics and those lines about what it means to be a strong woman who knows what she wants and can't say no," Price said.
Associated Press writers John Carucci, Mark Kennedy and Ragan Clark contributed to this story.
Support Canvas
Sustain our coverage of culture, arts and literature.
More Stories
Watch
The cultural significance of the movies just added to the National Film Registry
The Library of Congress announced the 25 films that made it into this year's National Film Registry. The registry, started…
One of India's most accomplished classical musicians, Zakir Hussain, dies at 73
Zakir Hussain, one of India's most accomplished classical musicians who defied genres and introduced tabla to global audiences, died on…
Watch
New era in chess: Levy Rozman discusses Gukesh Dommaraju becoming youngest world champion
The newest world chess champion is also the youngest ever to claim the title. Eighteen-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju, who defeated defending…
Watch
Amy Sherald on the gaze and humanity of her portraits
She has painted portraits of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor. But much of Amy Sherald's work is about filling in…
Watch
Gwen Ifill featured in PBS Kids series, 'Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum'
The animated PBS Kids series, "Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum," follows Xavier as he, his sister and friend meet…
Watch
Stevenson reflects on inequities in justice system 10 years after release of 'Just Mercy'
Bryan Stevenson, the prominent lawyer and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, has blazed a trail representing the poor,…
Watch
Longtime court sketch artist Bill Hennessy Jr. dies
Longtime court sketch artist Bill Hennessy, who captured history with his sketchbook for more than 40 years died on Monday…
Watch
Remembering the fierce and lyrical voice of poet Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni, a fierce and lyrical voice of the Black experience, has died. Giovanni's work illuminated love, liberation and the…
Poet Nikki Giovanni, author and literary celebrity, has died at 81
Author of more than 25 books, Giovanni was a born confessor and performer whom fans came to know her well…
Watch
This arts program offers new approach to rehab and re-entry
A tried and true program in East L.A. helps former gang members, drug users and those leaving incarceration build a…
Golden Globe nominations announced, musical 'Emilia Pérez' leads with 10 nominations
The nominations for Globes, which will be televised by CBS and streamed on Paramount+ on Jan. 5, were announced on…
The end of the Eras tour marks a bittersweet moment for Taylor Swift fans
After more than 150 shows across five continents over nearly two years, the global phenomenon that is Taylor Swift's Eras…
Merriam-Webster's 2024 word of the year: 'polarization'
"Polarization means division, but it's a very specific kind of division," said Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor at large, in an…
Watch
A student and teacher connect over small acts of kindness that made a big difference
In 1958, when John Cruitt's mother died, his third-grade teacher made a small gesture of kindness that meant a great…