For most Broadway performers, a Broadway debut comes after years of training. For Sutton James Kaylor, he stepped into the world of Broadway while still in college.
Before making his professional Broadway debut, Kaylor’s passion for performing goes all the way back to his love for musical theatre throughout his childhood.
“I fell in love with the art form pretty early on,” Kaylor said. “My first ever play was in elementary school and I did “Peter Pan” as Peter Pan. I went to a private high school, which was more of a sports-heavy focused school, and there wasn’t a ton of funding going into the theater program, but I tried it out there, and it wasn’t the experience I wanted it to be for myself.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaylor ended up pursuing online acting and singing lessons throughout high school with instructors based in New York City. During that time, he grew as an actor where he continued to develop his craft and train with some of the best in the industry.
After graduating high school, Kaylor was accepted into the University of Michigan’s musical theatre program, which had been a dream of his.
“I didn’t even consider it a possibility until it was a reality, just because the acceptance rate there for musical theatre, particularly, is so crazy and insane. I got really lucky, and studied musical theatre intensely for four years,” Kaylor said.
Throughout his four years at University of Michigan, Kaylor participated in numerous shows and musicals.
“My junior year, I did ‘Titanic’ the musical and played Thomas Andrews, the shipbuilder. I was then in ‘Bat Boy’ the musical, where I played Ruthie, the girl who gets attacked by the Bat Boy in the first act and dies. Then, I did ‘She Loves Me,’ and I was the understudy for George in my final summer,” Kaylor said.
In March 2026, Kaylor made his Broadway debut as Sodapop Curtis in “The Outsiders” musical. However, as a current college student, he had to take a leave from school to join the production as part of the year three replacement cast.
“I’m a very rare case where I got pulled out of college to perform,” Kaylor said. “I was fully enrolled in classes at the University of Michigan where I studied musical theatre, and when I found out I got the job, I had two weeks to drop all my classes at school and move to New York City to start rehearsals.”
As a 2026 graduate of the University of Michigan, Kaylor found a way to balance completing his degree while performing on Broadway.
“I’m currently enrolled in summer school classes to finish my requirements, so I can still graduate while doing the show,” Kaylor said. “My degree requirements were completed. It was just a matter of completing my non-musical theatre credits, like English, math, science, anything in that wheelhouse.”
Portraying a character Kaylor relates to helps him connect more deeply and authentically with his role.
“I relate to Soda in a lot of ways,” Kaylor said. “People say that I smile all the time, that I always like to laugh at my own jokes. When Soda is initially introduced in the show, he smiles all the time, even when he probably shouldn’t. People laugh at me all the time about how similar to Soda I am.”
Making his Broadway debut at such a young age, Kaylor’s long term goal is to keep acting.
“Acting is the heart of what I think we do as musical theatre performers. Yes, you can sing your face off, but I’m somebody who’s like, the acting will always come first.”
Kindness is the root of all success. With musical theatre being a competitive industry, having respect for others is just as important as performing onstage.
“Consistency, discipline and being a kind person will propel you in this industry,” Kaylor said. “Treat everyone with kindness, they’re working just as hard as you are, maybe more. Treating every single person that’s a part of every project that you’re ever on is the golden rule for me.”
