Featured Alumnus: Sutton Kaylor '22 | Avon Old Farms News | About Us | Avon Old Farms

In late April, a group of students and faculty from Avon Old Farms and Miss Porter’s Schools traveled to New York City to attend a Broadway performance of The Outsiders. For one of the actors on stage that day, it wasn’t his first time performing in front of a group of Avon and Porters students, which made the already amazing rendition of the Tony Award-winning musical much more memorable.

Sutton Kaylor ’22 always knew he wanted to be an actor. He had already been involved with musical theater for several years by the time he hit high school age. He fully expected to attend his local public high school to continue his academic and theatrical education, but his parents suggested he explore some of the nearby boarding schools. After touring at Avon, the decision was easy. “I just fell in love with the campus and I felt like I could really have a place there,” Kaylor shares. “There was just something about the traditions—the jacket and tie, the refectory—things you can’t get anywhere else.”

He arrived on campus in the fall of 2019 and immediately began to make his mark on campus. “I knew right away I was where I was meant to be,” he says. Throughout his four years at Avon, he played hockey and lacrosse, served as a day student monitor, Admissions Ambassador, Big Brother, and was a leader of both the Avon Outreach and Music Production clubs.

Of course, he also left his mark on the theater program. His freshman year, he portrayed Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. “That was my claim to fame,” Kaylor jokes. “I remember being nervous for that first performance with not knowing how the other students were going to react, but it ended up being a positive experience.” He clearly impressed his peers, according to an excerpt from the 2019 yearbook, which reads, “His talent shocked most students, for they did not realize the capability of the new student. Students had many positive remarks to tell Kaylor.”

As a member of the Riddlers, Kaylor had the opportunity to build on his already evident talent. He shares that it was under Mr. Will Lea’s guidance with the Riddlers that he picked up many valuable skills like reading music and being able to adapt quickly to the moving parts of a performance. Kaylor shares what else he liked about being a Riddler, something he says is special about Avon. “I’d be singing next to the star of the football team or hockey team and it really showed how intertwined the community is. It’s something I really admire.”

For Kaylor, even the setbacks he experienced at Avon were beneficial. He served on the Student Council his sophomore year—something he greatly enjoyed—but he wasn’t reelected the following year. “I was devastated, but in hindsight, it was a crucial part of my development. It made me take a step back and think about what made me happy instead of what I felt like I was supposed to be doing. That’s when I really got more focused on my artistic endeavors.”

Unfortunately for Kaylor and even more so for the Adams Theater audiences, Guys and Dolls would be his last performance at Avon, as the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on all school activities. However, Kaylor didn’t let his artistic development be put on pause as well. Throughout the pandemic, he enrolled in virtual acting and voice lessons that then continued when classes at Avon resumed. “I’d finish up with study hall or whatever I was doing on campus that day, head home, and then hop on Zoom for a voice lesson,” Kaylor shares. “It ended up really paying off.”

The payoff was apparent when Kaylor found out he’d been accepted to the University of Michigan, known for having perhaps the best theater program in the country. “It was such a reach academically and artistically to get in. It really felt like the stars were aligning.” While at UM, Kaylor studied musical theater and starred in a number of productions on campus and at various theaters around the country during summer breaks. Some of these roles include Jack Kelly in Newsies and Tony in West Side Story.

This past fall, he began his final year at Michigan, balancing classes and other school commitments with auditions for various stage and TV roles mixed in. In December, he auditioned for two different roles in The Outsiders, a musical adapted from the 1967 S. E. Hinton novel about two rival gangs from different socioeconomic classes in Tulsa, Okla. It won four Tony Awards including Best Musical.

In mid-January, Kaylor was in the middle of a CPR certification course when he got the phone call he was hoping for. “They told me I had two weeks to pack up and leave school, find a place to live in New York City, and be ready to start rehearsals,” Kaylor shares. He had been cast as Sodapop "Soda" Curtis in The Outsiders.

He made his Broadway debut on St. Patrick’s Day and since then has only missed a few shows when he had to return to Michigan for his graduation. “It’s been a blast. Eight shows a week since then.” Other than Mondays—his day off—Kaylor spends most afternoons and evenings on stage performing, backstage preparing to perform, or meeting with fans after a performance. “I still have to do things like working out or grocery shopping, so when I do end up with any actual free time I usually spend it in bed,” he says.

Despite such an exhausting workload, Kaylor still made sure to take extra time after the show that his fellow Avonians attended to catch up with old mentors and offer advice or insight to current students. “It was really nice seeing all my teachers that made it out. When I heard there was a group coming, I decided that show was going to be for Avon.”

For anyone interested in watching Kaylor and the rest of the amazing Outsiders cast perform on Broadway, tickets and more information can be found on their website, www.outsidersmusical.com.

You’ll have until at least October to see Kaylor in the role, although his goal is to re-sign for at least another year. There may be other opportunities to see him in the future, as he’s kept busy submitting tapes for TV and film roles, as well as other stage productions.

Return To News