What was once a childhood dream is now a reality. Broadway actor Caleb Mathura is living out the dream he has had since he was 5 years old, an experience he still describes as surreal.
“Every day feels like a dream. Every time I walk into the theatre, every time I walk past my face on the building, nothing feels real, and I don’t think it ever will feel real,” Mathura said. “I’ve wanted to be on Broadway since I was 5 years old and the fact that all of these dreams came true overnight is insane.”
Mathura grew up with a passion for the performing arts. Throughout elementary, middle and high school, he participated in community, local and regional theatre productions.
“I always loved the arts as a kid, dancing, singing and acting. My first play was when I was 5 in kindergarten. We did a little story called ‘The Mitten,’ and we got to pick our own roles. I wanted to be the lead and I got to pick that role. Then, my first community theatre production was when I was 7. It was ‘Cabaret,’” Mathura said.
Mathura attended Point Park University and earned his BFA in musical theatre with a minor in dance. Following graduation, he was cast in a regional theatre production of “Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical.”
“After Point Park, I immediately went into rehearsals for a show called ‘Come Fall in Love’ at the Old Globe Theatre, which was a Bollywood musical,” Mathura said. “They ended up going to London, but I’m not sure if there’s plans to bring it to Broadway.”
While performing on “Come Fall in Love,” Mathura met Nell Benjamin, who wrote “Mean Girls” the musical, and booked a role on the national tour.
“There was an opening to play Kevin G on the Broadway tour of ‘Mean Girls,’ and I was able to connect with Nell and submit a tape to the creative team,” Mathura said.
After ending his run on “Mean Girls” Mathura moved to New York where he did a few regional shows before booking the national tour of “The Notebook” musical in July 2025. After seven months on tour with “The Notebook,” Mathura ended up auditioning and booking the role of Johnny Cade from “The Outsiders.”
“[Johnny] represents strength, he represents optimism, he represents persistence, he represents brotherhood, friendship, all of these beautiful qualities all into one person,” Mathura said. “It’s just a privilege to be able to play this character and have the honor of portraying him on stage, knowing that people love him innately, which is a gift in itself.”
Following Mathura’s Broadway debut in March 2026, he has found it a privilege to build such meaningful connections with his cast and crew.
“It’s been such a luxury to build friendships with Noah, Nicholas, Sutton, SeQuoia and all these other people that we have such close relationships on stage with. It’s been so nice to get to know them off stage as people, because they’re all so complex and interesting. It feels like a brotherhood on and off stage, which I think makes our work on stage even stronger.”
Being an actor means exploring the world from a different perspective. Finding a connection with every character he plays helps him better understand both himself and the role.
“I’m a young man living in New York City, and I’m still learning about myself, so it’s been beautiful trying to access parts of myself that I’m still learning about and bringing them to character,” Mathura said.
Looking back on his career, Mathura reflects on his journey to Broadway and the advice he would give his younger self if he could do it all over again.
“I would tell him to trust himself and trust his talent and his abilities, and don’t look towards others for validation or approval, because a lot of times they’re not going to give it to you. Rejection is protection,” Mathura said.
