Broadway star Ali Stroker became the first wheelchair user to ever win a Tony Award for her role in Oklahoma! in June 2019 — and now, she’s using her voice as a way to inspire other dreamers just like her with a special campaign-meets-music-video with Olay.
Stroker was paralyzed in a car accident at the age of two, but she didn’t let that hold her back from her pursuing a career in theater. The 31-year-old won a Tony for Best Supporting Actress, but before that, she became the first Broadway actress ever to perform in a chair for her 2015 role of Anna in Spring Awakening.
As part of her goal of creating content that authentically represents all women, Stroker teamed up with Olay for the brand’s #FaceAnything campaign to launch a special musical so catchy, you’ll find yourself humming it all day long. “I’m a singer and an actor and so I was so excited to bring my gift to a campaign and a brand that I love so much. It felt like the perfect colliding of words for me,” Stoker exclusively told Us.
The performer notes that her favorite part of bringing “Singing Selfies” The Musical to life — from recording, learning choreography and filming — was that the set was designed with wheelchair users in mind. “When they were showing me the set, they had made a wheelchair accessible bathroom,” said Stroker. “This was so powerful to me because it’s rare to see accessibility being highlighted in such a beautiful way.”
As a young girl, Stroker didn’t see her experience represented in art or theater and the #FaceAnything campaign is just one way she’s working to create more inclusive content. Stroker says, “The song is all about that you can face anything. This woman wants to ask for a raise and so she’s practicing doing that in the mirror. That’s so relatable to any person that going into some kind of scary situation.”
And of course, a big part of the musical is highlighting the Broadway star’s skincare routine! Stroker’s skincare regimen has become an integral part of her daily routine since she started performing eight times a week on Broadway. “I’m putting makeup on every single day and I’m under hot lights and I live in NYC so it’s become much more important to me,” says Stroker. “ I wash my face and then I use Olay Whips, which also have SPF in it. I don’t have a lot of time so it’s fantastic to have a product that’s moisturizing with SPF.” Double duty products for the win!
“One of the reasons why this campaign means so much to me is because I’ve never seen a woman with a disability in a beauty campaign,” concluded the actress. “Olay is setting the bar for every beauty campaign that women with disabilities are beautiful and they need to be seen. I am really thrilled to be a part of this game-changing moment for this industry.”
