Cayden Smaka's love for the theatre started like all upcoming actors—seeing their friends perform in the middle school production of Elf Jr. He begged his parents to let him quit baseball so he could do the spring play: Beauty and the Beast Jr. Cayden was cast as Narrator #4 and fell in love with the art of theatrical storytelling and continued to pursue theatre throughout high school. Theatre was always something fun and fulfilling for him, but it wouldn't be his career (little did he know). It wasn't until one late May night on the beach with his choir friends that he made this discovery. His choir spent the day at the Youth Arts Festival, and the celebration continued until 2 a.m. at a public beach on the shores of Lake Michigan. They threw around a plastic frisbee, relived their favorite moments of the school year, and sang. The choir went through every song they performed (to the best of their memory) and sang, harmonizing under the moonlight with the sound of the waves behind them. It was at this ethereal moment that Cayden realized that this was his purpose. To create authentic art with passionate people who inspire. He wishes to connect people with the power of music and story, allowing emotion to flow through the artist and audience to inspire change and a deeper understanding of self.

Once he graduated from high school, Cayden took this passion and eventually landed at Northern Michigan University to focus, study, and grow his art.

​At NMU, Cayden has had numerous opportunities to grow and perform in all aspects. In his first 2 years, Cayden has been cast in over 20 productions at NMU, from straight plays to musicals, . Cayden also continues his love for dance as he joins the 26/27 COLAB Dance Company for his second year! Additionally, Cayden has furthered his music knowledge and ability through piano performances in The Last 5 Years, Wildcat Theatre Follies, and Holiday Soirée, while also composing songs such as “Sigh No More” and “Pardon, Goddess of the Night” for Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Cayden has also learned and proven to be an excellent off-stage swing/understudy in multiple shows, stepping in to perform when called. SWING NATION!!!​

He has taken classwork focused on Shakespeare, Dialects (IPA), Voiceover, Stage Combat (Armed and Unarmed), Directing, Laban Actions, Attitudes, and Movements, Scene Study, Music Theory, Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Piano, and more under the direction of Jimmy Ludwig, Kristen Beth Williams, Christopher Huston, Karina Johnson, Paul Truckey, and Theresa Camilli.

Outside of performing, Cayden also has experience as a bartender/server, in social media and digital marketing, and in set construction.​​

When not on the stage, you can find Cayden fiddling around on a piano, at the gym, at the beach, getting lost in the woods, disc golfing, playing beach volleyball, snacking on Dots pretzels, or spending time with friends and family.