The moving melodies and commanding choreography of the Broadway musical “Les Misérables” have been intricately woven into Julie Cardia’s life since she was 12 years old.
“That show has been a part of my DNA ever since I saw it and heard the music for the first time,” said Cardia.
With a Cal State Fullerton education, Cardia transformed her love for “Les Misérables” into a career. The CSUF theatre arts alum, who lived at Grand Central Art Center as a graduate student, is now performing with the national touring company for the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical.
She first joined the cast in 2017 for the national revival tour, during which she stepped in to play such characters as Madame Thénardier and a wigmaker. On the current national tour through 2025, Cardia takes the stage as part of the swing ensemble.
“There’s a saying when you’re in ‘Les Misérables’ — You never leave the barricade. It represents commitment and standing with one’s community. In my experience, that has definitely been true. Artistically, it has been so fulfilling, and I’ve met some lifelong friends,” said Cardia ’14 (MFA, theatre arts-acting).
In addition to taking the stage with the cast of “Les Misérables,” Cardia has landed several iconic roles in theatre. She played Stephen Hopkins on the first national tour for the Broadway revival of “1776” and was part of the original cast for Disneyland Resort’s “Frozen: The Musical.”
She credits CSUF’s College of the Arts for preparing her to succeed in a competitive entertainment industry. She said that the combination of hands-on stage training, network of experienced theatre faculty and arts community at CSUF played an instrumental role in helping her turn her love for performance into a prolific acting career.
“Cal State Fullerton has had a lasting impact on my career and the great opportunities I’ve been able to have,” said Cardia.
Living in an Artist’s Village
As a graduate student, Cardia lived at the university’s Grand Central Art Center in downtown Santa Ana. She said her favorite part of the experience was that she was only a floor away from the center’s Black Box Theatre.
It was in that theatre that Cardia starred in the original play, “Replica.” While living at the center and working on the show, she had the opportunity to collaborate with part-time faculty member and professional director Kari Hayter ’11 (MFA, theatre arts-directing), who has directed shows for such organizations as South Coast Repertory, International City Theatre and Valley Performing Arts Center.
“My partner Mickey Fisher wrote ‘Replica’ for my twin sister and me, and we starred in it for the first time at Grand Central Art Center. It went on to be produced at Stages Theatre in Houston, Texas, but the original production was possible because of Cal State Fullerton,” said Cardia.
For 25 years, Grand Central Art Center has empowered student artists to channel their creativity and land dream jobs in the industry. The community features several exhibition spaces, a theatre, a shop, a restaurant, a cooking school and 27 apartments that are reserved for CSUF graduate students like Cardia.
Unlike other galleries across the United States, Grand Central Art Center has a unique structure, housing model and connection to the local community.
“Grand Central has grown into an anchoring institution for arts in Orange County,” said John Spiak, director and chief curator of Grand Central Art Center. “It’s where professional artists, students and faculty come together to create a synergy of a collective of arts that are building an even stronger community.”
Since it was officially dedicated in the late 1990s, the center has celebrated several milestones, including being awarded three $100,000 grants from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts for its innovation in programming that merges artistry with community.
This funding supports the center’s accomplished artist-in-residence program, which invites professional artists to the center to create and exhibit original pieces. Looking ahead to 2025, Spiak said that the center will be expanding the program to include more professional artists that students can collaborate with and learn from.
“We’re not only supporting the students that live and have studio spaces on site, but we’re also supporting economic development in the city, and fostering a strong connection with the local community through the projects and visiting artists that we host,” said Spiak.