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Exclusive: Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz Open Up About Their New Book, A CHANCE TO FLY
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Oct 26, 2022
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.
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Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World. My guests, Tony Award winner Ali Stroker and Stacey
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Davidowitz, have just written the new glorious children's book called The Chance to Fly
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It tells the story of Nat, a theater-loving girl who uses a wheelchair for mobility and her quest to defy
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expectations and gravity. The authors just had the opportunity to perform some of the book
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for the Lollipop Theater Network's Storytime. This is an incredible nonprofit organization
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that is dedicated to bringing current entertainment to children who are confined to hospitals nationwide
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with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. So please say hello to Ali Stroker and Stacey Davidowitz
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Thank you, Allie and Stacey for joining me today. The book is sensational
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Thank you so much. Thank you. We're so excited. Yeah, how did the two of you come about to work together
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I knew I wanted to write a project, about the joy of theater. Like I, you know, I just, it's my two loves of like writing theater
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I wanted to marry them. And I had seen Allie and Death West's production of Spring Awakening
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And I wanted the protagonist to be someone who was in a wheelchair for mobility
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And I, so I was kind of approaching her to sort of interview her. But in the process, we like deeply connected
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And Allie was like, should I just write it with you? And I was like, what
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Yes. Yes. And I was like, I mean, so over the moon and we very quickly like we're just yes anding each other through an outline and
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we just jumped in and just kind of went to see how it how it would go and and it went really
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our collaboration went very smoothly we're both very like supportive and positive with each
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other and all right it was amazing we we connected through a mutual friend and we had lunch at
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westville on valentine's day 2018 and that was the the first day we
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met. And then from there, you know, it's taken, it took two years to write and edit and then
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you know, get it published. And a lot happened in those two years. And this feels like such
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perfect timing for this book to come out right now while Broadway is still shut down. And
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and so this collaboration and this project has been one of my favorites
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We have to talk about collaborations because they're really delicate. They're like marriages
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And, you know, yours seems to work so beautifully. I mean, why do you think you work so well together
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Anybody can start? Yeah, I think we come from sort of a similar
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we come from a similar foundation of just having a love and a passion for theater
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You know, as kids, like, this was our outlet. This was both of us, our first show
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Both of our first shows was Annie. And, and then the other
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part that I think part of why Stacey and I work so well together is that I think we both have a real
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sensitivity for like young people and where they are at. And so when we were writing this book
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we wanted to be really authentic and we wanted to create representation for not just kids in
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wheelchairs, but all different kinds of kids. And so Stacey has such a place. And so Stacey has such a
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playful, wonderful, like, way of writing certain things. And I was able to bring a really, like, authentic voice to our character, Nat
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And so, you know, and what Stacey said earlier, we just said yes to each other all the time
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And it was just, and then we felt really good, like, oh, our ideas are good
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I mean, every, I want to just echo everything that Allie said, but I, I do think that just the kind of universal
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friendships that you make doing theater, especially growing up, was just really profound for both of us
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and it impacted us in huge ways And when we wrote these characters together I think we kind of both when we like we kind of settled on like a character like Hudson
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And we both were like, we know who Hudson is. We know who, I mean, I'm just naming names right now
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But just like, we know who these people are so, so close to our hearts that, like
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when we were writing, like, together, we were, it was just kind of like hanging out with
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our friends from our childhood. And so it kind of, it was very natural for us
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us to kind of throw ourselves back into that world of doing theater when we were younger
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when we were that age. I love the other characters. Who do you relate to the most
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Of course, you know, Allie, not for you, but I'm sure there's others too. Like when you were writing them, who are the ones like, I'd love to be that one
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Oh, I'm like that. Well, I love Savannah. even though she sort of has this kind of like, you know, edgy side to her
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I love how honest she is, like kind of at the beginning with Nat
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And then I love her because she is protected and she's afraid
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And so that's why she sort of says things that sometimes are a little bit hurtful
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But I love how she comes around at the end. Stacey, for you
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I really love Ray. and I feel like she's kind of not talked about as much as the other characters
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But she's just such a support system. And I love how like blunt she is and that she, I love that she's an athlete too
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Because she's just like this total theater nerd who also sees herself
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Like I think she talks a little bit about like where she sees her life headed and she's just like, I could stage manage
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I could. Like she just has such a love for the theater that it doesn't even matter
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or if she's acting or not. She just wants to be a part of the community, which is kind of how I feel
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so much. So I really connect with her. I love that. I just want to talk about all the theater
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shoutouts. I mean, were some of these your favorite shows that you put in the book? Yeah
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Yes. Definitely. Obviously. Yeah. That was one of the fun. That was one of the fun parts is like
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we just sort of allowed like our theater geek flag to fly
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And like we like put in all the jokes. And like, you know, Stacey came up with these hilarious screen names
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Like, you know, all like their screen names when they chat. And it's just all these theater jokes
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And we just had to include them because it's such a huge part of our own sense of humor
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I love that. Now, when I talk about the things you wanted to include in the book
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The chats, I mean, it's also now, it's what kids do. Talk about the important parts of the books, the book you each one to put into it
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I mean, there's some, like, really deep stuff, but the non-deep stuff that I really, like
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loved in terms of, like, formatting, like, the chat and stuff. I was really excited about the, when they have their bios and stuff, and they get to choose
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like, when they do, like, this fundraiser to raise money so they can, like, you know, rent out
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a theater, I was really excited for them to, like, what songs are they going to sing
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And what's how to, like, what's their song of choice that they, that's their like
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what is the song that they would choose to, like, feature themselves and highlight their talent
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So that was like my, I really love doing that. Those were like, and that the very end, how there's like, there's, this is one of my
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favorite parts, which is just the very end where there's like the everyone signs the show poster
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Let me find it really quick. Here. This part I really, really loved
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Like, you know, just like all the kids get a voice and get to say
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congratulations. And it represents what theater is, community and friendship and support and all that
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I love that, Stace. And my the pieces of the book that mean so much to me are you know some of the vulnerable moments of what it was like as a young girl in a wheelchair like growing up and like where I would be nervous or like the moments when I felt frustrated or I didn feel seen
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Like getting the chance to kind of articulate all those things was actually super like healing and amazing for me because I think that, um
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you know, growing up with a disability, there's a lot of things that you kind of just like keep to
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yourself because, you know, you're trying to survive out there in the world and, you know
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every kid has challenges. But to be able to relive those and write them and also like be on the
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other side of them is, I think, really important to me. And for Nat to allow her to express those moments of
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fear and insecurity. I just, I really wanted, I really wanted to include that in this book
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And so I think that we were able to, you know, with, with the lightness and the fun of all the
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things that are happening, we're also really able to make some of the, some of the more
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emotional moments, like, I think land pretty well. Yeah. You know, I'm catching up
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Stacey, do you want to add something? Go ahead. I was just going to like tack on that something that we talked a lot about was just like
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feeling miscast, feeling like there is a thing as miscast and what can you, what parts can you play
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And I think it was really important for both of us to send the message to kids that they can play and be
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whatever they want to be and that they shouldn't feel like they're related by anything and that they
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should just kind of go for it. And that the theater world is changing and that, like, I kind of mentioned this a little
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bit earlier, but, like, also the idea that you can make your own art and that you can work
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together with your friends as they do in this production and really hold their friends up
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and, like, support each other so that everyone feels like they have a place to shine
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even if they're not, like, they would never think that they would get cast in that particular role
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I could see this as an animated film or an animated series
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Is that like on the table at all with the two of you
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We're not going to say no. But I want to talk about today
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I'm catching up with you today. You have just finished reading part of your book
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of a Lollipop Theater Network's Storytime. This is such a beautiful organization
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Tell me what it meant to the two of you to be here today and what it meant to you
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Well, this sort of situation and this event means so much to me because I have been in those kids' position of being in the hospital and being injured
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And, you know, virtual events like this, you know, obviously were not happening when I was little
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But it's so cool to get to reach this many kids who have a lot going on in their life
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to be able to kind of bring them into our world for a minute and do a scene from our book
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and get to talk to them about theater. That is what really changed my life when I was little
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was to dive into theater and into stories. Those moments are so important. And so
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to kind of come full circle today in so many ways just means so much to me
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And this is exactly why I wanted to write this book with Stacey
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For me, it just means so much to connect. And I think it just so important for everyone to feel listen to and heard And something like this was really really cool because it enables us to like speak directly to these kids and have conversations and talking in the chat
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and asking questions and asking for volunteers to like participate in our scene. Like that's
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really cool. I mean, and I hope that like, I hope that like this kind of session was like
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light of nice distraction, but also just like just really a cool way to connect with people and
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say hi. I mean, what's also awesome is that like the kids that we were talking to are not all
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in the same place. So like not only are they connecting with us, but they're connecting with each other
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Like it's a really, really unique and beautiful opportunity. They're so smart too
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They're so theater savvy. That was the amazing thing too. They have got it together with like
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the hippest shows that, you know, I was like, oh, I saw that, didn't I
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I'm like, these kids are singing these songs. That was a bit so amazing for you to watch them do that
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That was awesome. You know, I don't ever expect. I always feel like theater is so niche
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So I'm like, you know, maybe they've heard of one or two musicals before
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And all of a sudden, they knew like all, all these new shows
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And one of them sang for us. And the questions were so great
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and, you know, it was as much fun for me. Same. Same for you
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Yeah, absolutely. My final question is, what are you both the proudest of with this book
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I will say that it's from some feedback that I'm getting from, like, social media and stuff
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it feels like we're reaching the right people. Like we're reading people who read this and they're laughing. They're crying. It's inspiring to them. It's motivating to them. It's joyful to them. And like it's just an opportunity for people to see themselves in these characters and know that anything is possible. I love that, Stace. I am most proud that this story
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exists in the world and this book exists for kids to read because when I was a kid
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I never had anything like it. And I didn't really ever see myself represented in books
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and in stories. And particularly Nat's story, you know, that she ventures into this new
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thing that she doesn't know if she's going to be successful at it and she does it and she
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defies gravity in her own way that is the kind of content and the kind of work and the kind of art
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that I want to make and I want to put in the world and I feel really proud of this one and working
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with Stacy has been a dream come true and I just I can't wait to make more on that I'm adding a
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Cota, might there be another collaboration between the two of you? Oh, we would love that
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We keep in every interview so that our publishers would be like, yes, okay, we'll give you a sequel
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So we're just like, there has to be a sequel to these characters
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I mean, like I said, this is such a beautiful story. And like I said, I was brought up in the 60s
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I wish I had a book. There was like the Hardy Boys. There wasn't something of like this theater community with all these different types of people
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these kids that got together until we found it on our own. So I want to thank both of you for doing what you do
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And I can't wait for the sequel to this or the animated series or something else that goes with it
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Thanks for dropping by Broadway World. This has been really great. Thank you, ladies. Thank you, Richie
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