Gary W. Blackman
Founding Co-Director

Gary Blackman (Producer and Co-Founder of ArtsPower) co-founded ArtsPower in 1985 with his identical twin brother, Mark. Their Journey Into Jazz production was ArtsPower's cornerstone production and presented nearly 1,000 performances and artist residencies throughout much of the nation. In 1989, they became an Actors' Equity Association producer of musicals and dramas. Today, Gary serves as ArtsPower's managing director. Gary received his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Columbia College, Columbia University and earned a Master's degree in Music Education from the School of Music at Florida State University. He is also a graduate of the Commercial Theatre Institute. Gary, his wife Amy, and their daughter Emma live in Glen Ridge, New Jersey.

Mark A. Blackman
Founding Co-Director

Mark Blackman (Producer and Co-Founder of ArtsPower) co-founded ArtsPower in 1985 with his twin brother, Gary, and currently serves as director of development. Mark is a graduate of Columbia College, Columbia University and received his Masters of Music Education degree from Florida State University's School of Music. He is also a graduate of the Commercial Theatre Institute. Mark is responsible for ArtsPower’s fundraising and marketing efforts. He has forged important alliances with major corporations and foundations including Verizon, Colgate-Palmolive, Bank of America, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, The Shubert Foundation, The Edith Glick Shoolman Fund, The Righteous Persons Foundation, and the Lillian Pitkin Schenck Fund. In a former life, Mark was a jazz saxophone player who was recognized by Downbeat magazine with a “db Student Recording Award” while at FSU. In 1984, he was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to study for a year with jazz recording artist Eddie Daniels. Presently, Mark serves on the board at ArtsPower and Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Mark, his daughter Alyssa, and their dog Alex live in Montclair.

Greg Gunning
Artistic Director

Greg Gunning (Playwright and Lyricist) hails from Chicago, Illinois and is the man behind ArtsPower's on-stage magic. He has written and directed every ArtsPower production since 1989. He has written the lyrics to Anne of Green Gables, Terrifically Tilly, A Little Princess Christmas, Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, Hans Brinker & the Silver Skates, Anastasia Krupnik, Highlights for Children, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, The Rainbow Fish and Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon. Greg auditions and rehearses ArtsPower's theatre companies each semester in addition to creating two new productions each year. A graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and a former actor, Greg has performed in 38 states across the country.

Andrea Bergman
Program Coordinator

After seven years of volunteering as the Cultural Arts Chairperson at her children’s elementary school, Andrea began working with ArtsPower in the summer of 2006. Attending ArtsPower Field Trip Series performances at some of the New Jersey theatres is one of the highlights of Andrea’s job, but she also loves speaking with the teachers who book the trips for their students. If you attend a show in Montclair, Ewing, or West Long Branch make sure you say “Hi” to her – she’ll show you to your seat and give you a big ArtsPower welcome!! Andrea lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children (who love attending ArtsPower shows).

Karen Bibbo
Company & Production Manager

Karen Bibbo is a recent graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. While at Syracuse she majored in public relations and minored in marketing and psychology. She is very excited about working for ArtsPower and learning more about the theatre world. In her spare time, Karen can often be found spending time with her family and friends.

Beth Fylstra
General Manager

Beth has been contributing her nonprofit expertise to ArtsPower since 2006. She received a B.S. from Montclair State University, a Master’s of Administrative Sciences from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and is currently working towards a Ph.D. in Public Administration, specializing in nonprofit leadership and management. Beth and her husband, Ralph, together have six children, a granddaughter, and a variety of pets. They enjoy traveling, snow and water sports, and helping nonprofits realize their maximum potential.

Stacey Sander Higgins
Booking & National Tour Coordinator

Stacey has been with ArtsPower since 1997. She began her ArtsPower career on the stage performing in such shows as Laura Ingalls Wilder, Caddie Woodlawn, A Little Princess Christmas, Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, and Are You My Mother? In May of 2000, she threw in her acting towel to work behind the scenes in the production and booking departments. She continues to travel, attending several booking conferences each year to promote ArtsPower's upcoming seasons. She lives in New Jersey with her husband Tom, their children Ellie and Ian Patrick, and their chocolate lab Gus.

Julie Kvoriak
Finance Assistant

Julie has been a member of the ArtsPower staff since 2006. Originally from Bucks County, PA, she spent several years in the Washington DC area where she attended Catholic University and worked at the Olney Theatre. Julie spent many years working in the legal and securities industries in New York and New Jersey. Now a resident of Montclair, she is raising two daughters with her husband, Jim. Prior to coming to ArtsPower, Julie was the business manager at 12 Miles West Theatre Company. Looking to the future, it is her hope that she will have the opportunity to get back to the artistic side of the theatre business one day.

Anne Moisan
Program Coordinator

After taking a break from the working world to be with her three daughters, Anne decided to join ArtsPower in the spring of 2007 to work in a fun and rewarding environment. ArtsPower is also a wonderful place to learn about quality children’s theater. Anastasia Krupnick is her daughter Emilie’s favorite play. Anne lives in New Jersey with her husband and daughters.

Dorothy Nixon
Development Associate

Dorothy has both a B.A. and a M.A. in theatre from the University of Texas at El Paso. She studied acting at Playwrights Horizons and the Ensemble Studio Theatre, directed plays in New York City and New Jersey, and appeared in theatre, commercials, television and film, including the award-winning independent film, Dadetown. In the nonprofit sector, Dorothy has worked for The Ford Foundation, the Academy for Educational Development, and The Violence Institute of New Jersey at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, where she worked in the fields of education research and evaluation in areas ranging from dropout prevention and positive student discipline to developing HIV/AIDS curriculum for middle school students and school-based youth services programs. She is also a member of the LAFF Society, a networking association of former Ford Foundation employees.

Kim Wood
Booking & Field Trip Coordinator

Kim Wood has over 20 years of experience in the fields of information technology and software sales support. Having worked for a variety of large corporations, Kim is thrilled to be able to offer her experience to such a worthwhile organization as ArtsPower. When she is not hard at work supporting the National Tour and Field Trip client bases, Kim loves to travel overseas and take long hikes with her Westie, Max.