Education Unlimited believes in small-group, immersive learning with subject matter experts and experienced teachers. We strive to provide industry-leading instruction to all of our students and hold all staff to the highest possible standards. Staff assignments vary by program and location. Some of our recent staff members for this program include:
Luis Cardenas, MA - Instructor
Cardenas began his career in New York City with master acting teacher, Tony Greco who has trained David Harbour, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Taraji P. Henson and so many other successful actors.
After teaching in New York at Stuyvesant High School, Bronx High School of Science and Democracy Prep Public Schools he founded Open Hydrant Theater Company in New York City where he has directed and developed hundreds of projects for local diverse youth. He is also the Co-Artistic Director. At OH he has directedFootloose The Musical, Rent, In the Heights, Hairspray, High School Musical, Our Lady of 121 Street, In Arabia We’d All Be Kings, Durang, Durang, Big River, Hair, Aida, West Side Story.
Cardenas has coached and mentored numerous youth who have been seen on TV, Film, and Broadway. Including-MJ The Musical, Kinky Boots, The Lion King, Single Parents, Eureka, Showing Up, Blue Bloods, The Last OG, Power, Power II, Power III Raising Kanan, American Sports Story, American Horror Story, FBI, Law and Order SVU, Billions, Modern Love, East New York, Somewhere in Queens, That Damn Michael Che, The Good Fight, And Just Like That, The Equalizer, It’s Bruno, Simone, Gilmore Girls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Judging Amy, Boston Public, Calendar Girls, Remember the Titans, Why do Fools Fall in Love, JAG, Nikki, The Steve Harvey Show, Sister, Sister, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Family Matters, The Parent Hood, My So-Called Life,
He has directed and acted off-Broadway:Future Fest @ 54 Below(7 Seasons)Raft of the Medusa,by Joe Pintauro,Fools in Loveby Sarah Rosenberg (NY Times Critic Pick) @ BAM,The Shadow Boxby Michael Cristofer. Balm in Gileadby Lanford Wilson.Haunted Hollioff Hildorf Hotel and Shadow’s Unicycle@ NY International Fringe Festival.Tempest Toss’d@ NY Musical Theatre Festival.
Cardenas is the resident playwright and proud member of Open Hydrant Theater Company, the first Equity theater ensemble in the Bronx. His plays have been performed around the country. Last Exit in New York, Visa Decline, Play the Papers for Lupe and Place of Assembly were all produced by Open Hydrant. His screenplay Ain't Gonna Be Ez is currently being filmed and will be followed by Boys Like Me. He is a proud member of The Puerto Rican Playwrights Unit and is the Playwright Workshop Leader at Bronx Loaf, a yearly conference for young writers in the Bronx.
His work can be seen in the feature film,Shakespeare HighandFrom The Bronx to Yaleby The Guardian.
James Webb, PhD- Instructor
James Webb is an actor, playwright, director, and educator. He holds a PhD in Educational Theater from New York University. A seasoned actor of over fifty stage productions, James has held roles that vary from Scar in The Lion King to Booker T. in Ragtime. He has been an educator at the university level since 2002, currently teaching at the City University of New York, and he was the managing director of Irene C. Edmonds Youth Theatre from 2001-2019. He has been the recipient of numerous honors and accolades throughout his career, honored for both his acting and playwriting. In addition to his time on stage, he has appeared in a number of films and done commercial and voiceover work. James also holds a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Florida and a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater from Florida A&M University.
Gerry Weiner, MA - Instructor
Gerry Wiener is a drama teacher with a Masters in English Education from New York University. He has taught beginning and advanced levels of drama as well as musical theatre, choir, and English with an emphasis on arts integration for over 25 years in Martinez, CA. He was both a participant and later a presenter with the California Arts Project, sharing drama techniques with fellow educators in the Bay Area. Gerry has worked with junior high students in summer musical theatre workshops at The Head Royce School in Oakland, and has directed and produced over 50 plays and musicals in Martinez, Berkeley, and Dansvile, NY. He has performed in community theater productions, and has sung and recorded with choirs including the UC Berkeley Chamber Choir and Vox Populi, In Gerry’s classes, students work collaboratively in a positive and creative setting to find their voices and explore myriad dramatic and musical techniques, building confidence that will serve them in all aspects of life.
Casey Ann Hayward, MA - Instructor
Casey Ann Hayward is a teacher with a Master of Arts in Educational Theatre from New York University. As a seasoned performer and teaching artist, Casey Ann has a natural ability to empower students to find their own voice and confidence in front of a crowd, whether it be on stage as a performer or public speaker. Her background in educating youth is extensive; she has taught at the National Youth Drama School, Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse, and taught at The West Tisbury School in Massachusetts.
Casey Ann is also an experienced performer, director, and playwright. In June 2017 her original play about the history and politics of genetics, “Gene Play”, co-written with Jonah Lipsky, was debuted at the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse. She has been involved in the production of numerous performances from the TONY awards to the Thanksgiving Day Parade. In addition to her love of the performing arts, Casey Ann has also been a certified Pilates instructor since 2011.