ABOUT MEHey, thanks for stopping by!
I’m Julia! I was born and raised in the small town of Texarkana, Texas. (Yep, it exists!) My love for the stage started early—at two years old, I was caught spinning in the wings of my sister’s dance recital, completely enchanted by the lights, the music, and the movement. Since that moment, I've been dazzled by the world of theater.
Through the years, I have explored my various interests—piano, voice, dance, comedy—and ultimately found my home in Musical Theatre, a combination of all my passions. I’ve fallen in love with performing and soak up every chance to step into a story.
Beyond the stage, my heart is happy in coffee shops, deep conversations,wandering through art museums, reading the classics, solving math proofs (yeah…), traveling the world, or hosting dinner parties. I’m passionate about the arts because I believe performing isn’t just about self-expression but seeking truth, beauty, and goodness. Here’s to a life-long journey.
I graduated from John Brown University in 2022 with a BS in Mathematics and an emphasis in Musical Theatre and Vocal Performance. I’m classically trained in voice, theatre, and dance (ballet, musical theatre, tap, jazz), and I’ve had the privilege of participating in masterclasses and world premiere readings with industry leaders like Ken Davenport; Jeannette LoVetri, a leading expert in NYC’s Contemporary Commercial Music scene; and several Broadway professionals.
During my time at JBU, I earned two Irene Ryan nominations at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for my performances as Amy March in Little Women and Cinderella in Into the Woods. Some of my favorite roles include Esther in the world premiere and original concept performance of For Such a Time As This, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical the Musical, Joanna (“Bless the Lord”) in Godspell, and yes—Cinderella (twice!) in Into the Woods. I served as Dance Captain and Featured Ensemble in Something Rotten! in Washington, DC, and played Jenny Hill (and Dance Captain) in Big Fish.
Follow along on social media for glimpses into my life and work: 📸 @jules_hornok_johnson
Something I’m Passionate About:
Every artist is tempted to make an idol of their work. With all the energy and effort we invest in the creative process, we question whether others will appreciate our work. Our worth becomes entangled with our art, and “Let me create something beautiful for you in this moment” becomes “Let me prove myself on this stage.” We invest ourselves in our art, but most people won’t get it. Most people won’t come. We struggle with an internal ache, lusting for “more,” for fame, for glory. We hide under a façade of putting on a smile, but the insecurities we face every time we step on stage—“Am I good enough? Will I ever be enough?”—are still present.
But happiness doesn’t come in fame and glory; it comes in the small, quiet moments of loving people and building genuine and honest relationships.
My hope for the art I create is that those I share it with leave with the desire to seek truth, beauty, and goodness—the true purpose of art—and to cultivate genuine relationships. This is why I perform.
I hope others see in me a desire to bring joy to those around me rather than to impress, for it is through the cultivation of art that I have found true joy in serving others.
“Heavy” by Mary Oliver
That time
I thought I could not
go any closer to grief
without dying
I went closer, and I did not die.
Surely God
had his hand in this,
as well as friends.
Still, I was bent,
and my laughter,
as the poet said,
was nowhere to be found.
Then said my friend Daniel,
(brave even among lions),
“It’s not the weight you carry
but how you carry it –
books, bricks, grief –
it’s all in the way
you embrace it, balance it, carry it
when you cannot, and would not,
put it down.”
So I went practicing.
Have you noticed?
Have you heard
the laughter
that comes, now and again,
out of my startled mouth?
How I linger
to admire, admire, admire
the things of this world
that are kind, and maybe
also troubled – roses in the wind,
the sea geese on the steep waves,
a love to which there is no reply?