Ali Stroker is the newest “Glee Project” alum to make her way onto “Glee.”
Stroker (who was one of the runner-ups to Blake Jenner on the Oxygen competition this past season) is set to play the role of Betty, Emma Pillsbury’s niece who is attending her wedding to Will during the “I Do” episode on Thursday night.
We don’t know if she has an arc that lasts beyond just an episode or not just yet, but the photo clearly shows her getting her groove on with Artie (Kevin McHale) while out on the dance floor.
Media dis&dat posted about Stroker in 2011 when she played the role of Olive in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Paper Mill Playhouse, running at the Millburn Theatre in 2011. At that time, she may have been "the first actress in a wheelchair in American Musical Theatre to have a leading role in a professional musical."
Here's her bio from imdb:
Ali is a New York York City actress and singer, and has been for over three quarters of her life. She studied at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, concentrated in drama. Ali has been paralyzed from the chest down since she was two years old and uses a wheelchair because of a car accident. She wants to inspire others with disabilities who want to be performers to follow their dreams. She originally auditioned for The Glee Project at a casting call in New York City. Ali is a Mezzo-Soprano but because she is paralyzed, she cannot engage the diaphragm, stomach, or core, she creates her own singing techniques. She's a strong swimmer, and learns to surf with the group Life Rolls On.
