BWW Exclusive: Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz Open Up About Their New Book, A CHANCE TO FLY

Ali Stroker made history as the first person in a wheelchair to appear on Broadway and win a Tony Award. Her experience is infused into the new middle-grade novel that she wrote with Stacy Davidowitz, titled The Chance to Fly. Now available from Amulet Books, A Chance to Fly is about a theater-loving girl who uses a wheelchair for mobility and her quest to defy expectations-and gravity-in her town's production of Wicked.

"The pieces of the book that mean so much to me are the vulnerable moments of what it was like as a young girl growing up in a wheelchair," explained Ali. "Where I would be nervous, or moments when I felt frustrated or unseen. Getting a chance to articulate all of those things was super healing and amazing for me. I think that growing up with a disability, there's a lot of things that you keep to yourself. You're trying to survive out there in the world! To be able to relive that and write about it is really important to me."

"I think the kind of universal friendships that you make doing theatre, especially growing up, was really profound for both of us. It impacted us in huge ways," added Stacy. "When we wrote these characters together, we both just knew who they were. It was like hanging out with friends from our childhood. It was very natural for us."

Just last week, the duo joined forces with Lollipop Theater Network- an organization dedicated to bringing current movies and entertainment to children confined to hospitals nationwide due to chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Twice weekly, Lollipop hosts "Story Time," a 45 minute moderated, virtual visit for pediatric patients around the country. During Story Time, the special guest of the day reads two children's books and then take questions from the kids.

watch as Ali and Stacy chat with BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge immediately following the special reading!