Where Did the Cast of Broadway’s The Outsiders Go to School?
The Outsiders won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Musical, recouped its entire $22 million capitalization by December 2025, and just welcomed a fresh cast at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on March 17, 2026. So we had one question: where did all these performers train?
We dug through official bios, school alumni pages, and verified profiles to track down the college or conservatory behind every member of the current Broadway company. The results paint a fascinating picture of the training pipelines feeding one of Broadway's biggest hits.
We confirmed training backgrounds for all 25 cast members. The University of Michigan leads with three alumni in the company, followed by the University of Oklahoma, Point Park University, and Boston Conservatory at Berklee with two each.
The Full Cast at a Glance
Here's the complete current Broadway company as of March 17, 2026, and where each performer trained.
| Name | Role | School |
|---|---|---|
| Noah Pacht | Ponyboy Curtis | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Caleb Mathura | Johnny Cade | Point Park University |
| SeQuoiia | Dallas Winston | NYCDA |
| Dan Berry | Darrel Curtis | University of Oklahoma |
| Sutton James Kaylor | Sodapop Curtis | University of Michigan |
| Nicholas McDonough | Bob | Point Park University |
| Victor Carrillo Tracey | Paul | Boston Conservatory at Berklee |
| Emma Pittman | Cherry Valance | Wagner College |
| Daryl Tofa | Two-Bit | University of Oklahoma |
| Cameron Burke | Swing / Dance Captain | Marymount Manhattan College |
| Runako Campbell | Ace | Princeton University |
| Henry Julian Gendron | Swing | Florida State University |
| Devin Tyler Hatch | Ensemble | University of Miami |
| Hailey Hyde | Ensemble | Brigham Young University |
| Brandon Lee Jordan | Ensemble | The Norwalk Conservatory |
| Abby Matsusaka | Ensemble | Montclair State University |
| Alejandro MullerDahlberg | Steve, u/s Two-Bit | University of Arizona |
| Logan Gray Saad | Ensemble | University of Michigan |
| Josh Strobl | Ensemble | University of Michigan |
| Eli Talley | Ensemble | SCAD |
| Derek Jordan Taylor | Ensemble | Boston Conservatory at Berklee |
| Jena VanElslander | Swing / Dance Captain | AMDA |
| Davis Wayne | Ensemble | Pace University |
| Wes Williams | Ensemble | Coastal Carolina University |
| Cole Zieser | Ensemble | Seattle Pacific University |
University of Michigan (3 Cast Members)
No school has more representation in this company than Michigan. Sutton James Kaylor, making his Broadway debut as Sodapop Curtis, earned his BFA in Musical Theatre there. Logan Gray Saad (BFA MT '24) joins the ensemble fresh from the national tour of Moulin Rouge! And Josh Strobl, the 2016 Jimmy Awards winner who previously starred in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, also trained at Michigan.
University of Oklahoma (2 Cast Members)
OU's Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre has two alumni in the company, both original Broadway cast members who are still going strong. Dan Berry, who originated the role of Paul and has now stepped into the role of Darrel Curtis, and Daryl Tofa, who continues as Two-Bit. Tofa actually joined the original Mean Girls Broadway cast while still a student at OU.
Point Park University (2 Cast Members)
Pittsburgh's Point Park has two alumni in the company. Caleb Mathura, making his Broadway debut as Johnny Cade, earned his BFA in Musical Theatre there in 2022 and was previously seen on tour in The Notebook and Mean Girls. Nicholas McDonough, also making his Broadway debut as Bob, holds the same BFA from Point Park and is known for his screen work in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.
Boston Conservatory at Berklee (2 Cast Members)
Victor Carrillo Tracey, a Portsmouth, NH native who was a swing in the original Broadway company and now plays Paul, graduated from Boston Conservatory's Musical Theatre program. Derek Jordan Taylor, who has already appeared on Broadway in Funny Girl, The Great Gatsby, and Boop!, also trained at BoCo.
The Rest of the Company
The remaining cast members come from an impressive range of programs across the country. Here's every school represented, from elite conservatories to programs you might not expect.
Carnegie Mellon University
Noah Pacht (Ponyboy Curtis) is a Carnegie Mellon School of Drama graduate. He made his Broadway debut last season in John Proctor is the Villain before landing the lead in The Outsiders.
Wagner College
Emma Pittman (Cherry Valance), an original cast member who continues with the company, graduated from Wagner College’s theatre program in 2018. She’s also a teaching artist and choreographer.
Princeton University
Runako Campbell (Ace) holds a BA from Princeton, where she served as Artistic Director of the DiSiac Dance Company and won the Louis Sudler Prize. Her Broadway credits also include The Great Gatsby and Jagged Little Pill.
Montclair State University
Abby Matsusaka (Ensemble) earned her BFA in Musical Theatre from Montclair State. She joins from the national tour of The Outsiders, with prior Broadway credits in Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot, and Lempicka.
Marymount Manhattan College
Cameron Burke (Swing/Dance Captain) holds a BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan. His credits include Moulin Rouge! on Broadway, Hamilton on tour, and the world premiere of Gatsby: An American Myth at A.R.T.
Florida State University
Henry Julian Gendron (Swing) earned his BM in Musical Theatre from Florida State. He previously appeared on Broadway in MJ the Musical.
Brigham Young University
Hailey Hyde (u/s Cherry, u/s Marcia) holds a BFA from BYU. She’s making her Broadway debut in The Outsiders after regional work at Tuacahn and North Shore Music Theatre.
Savannah College of Art and Design
Eli Talley (u/s Ponyboy) studied acting at SCAD in Savannah. He’s making his Broadway debut in this production.
Coastal Carolina University
Wes Williams (u/s Darrel, u/s Sodapop) graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Coastal Carolina in 2018. He most recently played Tom Buchanan in the South Korean production of The Great Gatsby.
Pace University
Davis Wayne (Ensemble) attended Pace University in New York. His Broadway credits include Hadestown, New York New York, and Back to the Future.
University of Miami
Devin Tyler Hatch (Ensemble) is a University of Miami graduate. He previously served as dance captain on the national tour of Hamilton.
The Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts
Brandon Lee Jordan (u/s Dallas Winston) is currently a first-year Acting for the Stage and Screen major at The Norwalk Conservatory, making his Broadway debut while still in school.
Seattle Pacific University
Cole Zieser (Ensemble) graduated from Seattle Pacific University in 2018. He’s making his Broadway debut in The Outsiders after regional work including Diesel in West Side Story at Pittsburgh CLO.
AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts
Jena VanElslander (Swing/Dance Captain) studied at AMDA in New York City and has been on the conservatory’s dance faculty since 2010. She also holds a BA in Psychology from Hunter College. Her Broadway credits include Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Life of Pi, and King Kong.
University of Arizona
Alejandro MullerDahlberg (Steve, u/s Two-Bit) studied at the University of Arizona before making his Broadway debut in & Juliet. His regional credits include Anastasia, Frozen, and Jersey Boys, and he appeared on America’s Got Talent Season 17.
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What Does This Tell Us?
A few patterns jump out when you look at the full picture:
- BFA Musical Theatre is the most common degree in this company by a wide margin. The majority of college-trained cast members hold a BFA in MT or a closely related discipline.
- You don't need an Ivy League degree, but it doesn't hurt either. Runako Campbell's Princeton BA sits alongside BFAs from mid-size state schools like Montclair State and Coastal Carolina. Broadway casts are built on talent, not prestige rankings.
- Pittsburgh is quietly powerful. Between Carnegie Mellon (Noah Pacht) and Point Park (Caleb Mathura, Nicholas McDonough), three members of this cast trained in the same city.
- There is no single path. The programs represented range from elite conservatories to mid-size state schools to an Ivy League university — and every route led to the same stage.
If you're a student exploring performing arts programs, this cast is a reminder that the schools on your list matter less than the work you put in once you get there. The Outsiders company includes graduates from 19 different programs, from a top-tier research university to a small conservatory in Connecticut. What they all share is the same stage.
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