ArtsPower's twofold mission is to provide young people, many for the very first time, with the unforgettable opportunity to experience the transporting power of outstanding theatre that entertains, stimulates, and educates; and to enhance “character education” among young people by creating theatre that fosters sound moral development, encourages self-expression, ignites the desire to read, and advances their development as productive members of society.

Celebrating our 27th anniversary in 2012, ArtsPower is one of America’s preeminent nonprofit producers and presenters of professional theatre for young and family audiences. With over 750 performances annually, ArtsPower has amassed an audience of more than 12 million people in 47 states.

Since our start in 1985, ArtsPower has created 27 original musicals and dramas, many of which are based on highly-respected books for young readers including: E.L. Konigsburg’s Newbery Medal-winning book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Paula Danzinger’s Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon, Patricia Reilly Giff’s Newbery Medal Honor Book Lily’s Crossing, Marcus Pfister’s The Rainbow Fish, winner of the 1995 American Bookseller Children’s Book of the Year Award, Harry the Dirty Dog, Lois Lowry’s Anastasia Krupnik, Judy Blume’s Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, P.D. Eastman’s Are You My Mother?, based on P.D. Eastman’s classic picture book, Anne L. Fox’s My Heart in a Suitcase, Four Score and Seven Years Ago, Anne of Green Gables, Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates, Olympic Spirit: The Jesse Owens Story, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Salem Justice, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Patricia Reilly Giff’s Fish Face, Ludwig Bemelmans’ Madeline and the Bad Hat, Lois Lowry’s The Silent Boy and James Preller’s Jigsaw Jones and the Case of the Class Clown. ArtsPower has performed in hundreds of regional theatres, cultural centers, university auditoriums, and schools throughout the United States.

ArtsPower is led by Founding Co-Directors Gary W. Blackman and Mark A. Blackman. Greg Gunning serves as Artistic Director and resident playwright. Kim Wood is ArtsPower's Senior Booking and Theatre Field Trip Coordination and Karen Bibbo is Company and Production Manager. Our sets are built by Tom Carroll Studios.

ArtsPower has received generous support from numerous corporate, foundation, and government sources including: New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Shubert Foundation, New Jersey Cultural Trust, Colgate-Palmolive, The Charles and Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation, Lillian Pitkin Schenck Fund, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation, as well as many valued individual donors.

Testimonials

“Greg Gunning’s adaptation of my book, Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, is fabulous (and that’s coming from the author!). I’ve seen the show several times and I always cry at the end, remembering how much I loved the first musical I saw on stage, when I was nine. I know there are kids in today’s audiences who will come away feeling the same magic. I can’t thank ArtsPower enough for bringing for bringing fine musical theatre to young people. Congratulations Gary and Mark on ArtsPower’s 20th Anniversary!” Judy Blume Recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Outstanding Literature for Young Adults and author of Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great.

“The process of having From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler translated into the language of music was a joy. So is the product. Bravo ArtsPower on 20 years of page-to-stage success!” E.L. Konigsburg Two-time Newbery Medal Winner and author of From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

“I was familiar with the book – I’d written it, after all! So, I was astonished that when watching the dress rehearsal of Greg Gunning’s adaptation of Anastasia Krupnik, I found myself choked up. What a wonderful thing: to have your own material presented in a way that makes it new and fresh and moving, even to the original author! And second-best to that was watching it in an actual performance and seeing the rapt, enthusiastic reaction of the young people in the audience. I give ArtsPower my personal, individual standing ovation.” Lois Lowry Two-time Newbery Medal Winner and author of Anastasia Krupnik.

“How wonderful to see the characters I had dreamed about, worried about, and written about in Lily’s Crossing on the stage. I watched audiences of children as entranced by the ArtsPower play as I was. I thank everyone at ArtsPower with full heart and wish Gary and Mark Blackman twenty-times-twenty years more to captivate all of us.” Patricia Reilly Giff Two-time Newbery Medal Honor Book Winner and author of Lily’s Crossing.