Barbara Storper, MS, RDN, is Founder and Executive Director of FoodPlay Productions since 1982. A national leader in the field of children’s nutrition, Barbara combines her background in journalism, theater arts, and nutrition to write, direct, and produce FoodPlay Productions’ evidence-based national touring theater shows. She also creates media campaigns, video/DVD kits, curricula, tools, and resources designed to empower kids with the skills they need to make their choices, healthy ones.
Barbara has been honored with a host of awards including an Emmy Award for “Best Children and Youth TV Special” for her made-for-TV show based on FOODPLAY. She has received several awards from the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior including its first “Outstanding Young Nutrition Educator in the Country Award,” “Media Partnership Award,” and “Best Public Health Program Award.” She was recently honored by Columbia University Teachers College with their “Distinguished Alumni Award.” Barbara also received the “National Excellence Award” from the Produce for Better Health Foundation and “Outstanding Nutrition Entrepreneur in the Country Award” from the American Dietetic Association for her innovative nutrition education programs and resources.
For the last 30 years, Barbara has worked with organizations around the country to create culturally relevant programming and resources using the power of live theater and interactive media which speak to children in their language and help them take charge of growing up healthy and fit. In addition to FOODPLAY programs, Barbara created “LiVe: This Is Your Life!” — a theater production for adolescents that toured middle schools throughout the Southwest under sponsorship by Intermountain Healthcare. She collaborated with the Fresh Vision Youth Theater to produce and present culturally relevant nutrition theater shows and resources for Philadelphia’s African American urban population including “FoodPlay’s Fresh Adventure!,” “Trish’s Awesome Nutrition Ambition,” and “Lil Red Ridin’ Thru Da Hood.” She is currently working on a series of script kits to enable schools and community groups to put on their own performances, geared to the unique culture, foodways, and demographics of their populations. Barbara believes that kids can be the best health advocates for themselves, their families, and their communities, once they are armed with the information to see through media messages and make choices that are good for their health and good for the health of the planet.
Barbara is a popular conference speaker and media spokesperson, inspiring parents and educators with creative approaches to raising healthy, media savvy children (view list of conferences). She has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Alaska, and Mexico and is interested in working with local communities to help create relevant programs that effectively motivate and engage children, families, educators, and community groups to work together to create the “healthy villages” needed to raise healthy children. She is also a consultant to the public and private sector developing innovative partnerships and media campaigns to promote children’s health.
For almost a decade, Barbara was the Media Spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Nutrition Center where she promoted nutrition through radio, TV, and the press. During that time she was also the nutrition columnist for the Rhode Island Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, Boston Herald, and the Boston and Rhode Island Parents Papers.
Barbara is currently creating a line of children’s books and toolkits, featuring her alter ego, Tobe Fit, Ace Food Detective, designed to help kids get off the junk food track. The first of the series, Janey Junkfood’s Fresh Adventure! (children’s book), was published in 2008, and is now available in paperback! You can order the book in our web store, and it’s available nationwide in stores and catalogs.
Contact Barbara at barbara@foodplay.com
Message from Barbara:
Greetings! Our goal at FoodPlay Productions is to use the power of fun-filled live theater and creative learning resources to help improve the eating and exercise habits of the nation’s youth.
We hope to work with you to present the highest-quality programming and resources to inspire kids to see through media messages and peer group pressures in order to take charge of growing up healthy, happy, and fit. We also know that it takes a healthy village to raise a healthy child, so we very much look forward to working with you to create that healthy village…that healthy world.”
