The arts at Neumann University have a long history of supporting the mission of the Sisters of Saint Francis while also inspiring that very mission to continually grow and flourish. We as people are surrounded and inspired by art every day in ways that we rarely realize. Art is the music we listen to on the radio, the programs we watch on our screens, the clothes we wear, the references we make to content created and promoted on social media and so much more. Without us realizing it, art defines who we are as individuals, and over the past 60 years, art has strengthened the bond of the Neumann Community through mediums including, but not limited to, visual art, drama, music, and dance. 

In 1991, The Arts Guild was established at Neumann University to enhance the high level of cultural enrichment presented to the Delaware Valley Community. The objective has always been to bring volunteer, non-for-profit arts groups to the forefront, celebrating both artistic achievement and the spirit of volunteerism. The Arts Guild, or TAG, has accumulated seven groups as members over the years since its inception, and through the volunteerism of its membership, we see the legacy of the Sisters of Saint Francis continued through the arts here at Neumann. 

Current TAG members include:

The NU Players

The Neumann University Players, formerly known as the Theater Ensemble, is a company of students, faculty, staff, and alumni that was founded in 1984.

They are more than a theater group; they are a collaborative, and creative campus resource that brings students, faculty, staff, and alumni together in shared artistic work. Producing multiple fully-staged productions each year – from Shakespeare and musicals to contemporary drama – the program creates hands-on credit opportunities for students to grow. They grow, not only as performers, but as leaders, designers, technicians, marketers, and production managers.

This immersive model blends academic learning with real-world practice, strengthening teamwork, communication, confidence, and problem-solving skills that apply far beyond the stage.

The NU Players enrich campus culture, build community for Knights of all ages, and keep the arts a visible and vibrant part of the Neumann experience.

Center Stage Productions

Founded in 1984, Center Stage Productions has a long history founded on introducing and proliferating theater and arts performance and education in the local community.

Initially established as a youth-focused group, several teachers in the Chichester area banded together to produce a one-off production of Grease with their arts and music students who all had a limited outlet for their artistic interests with one school-year production. Performing as “Chichester Community Youth Theatre” and on the stage of the local Middle School, this single production led to many more until the group established itself as the non-profit the local community has come to know as “Center Stage Productions.” Throughout its lifespan, Center Stage Productions has grown its constituency through expanding its programming to welcome performers of all ages and has become part of The Arts Guild at Neumann University, calling the Meagher Theatre at the University its home for many years. Despite the growth of CSP, the mission has always remained the same: to provide a sense of community and unique, individualized artistic opportunity to creatives of all levels of experience. 

“CSP” has hosted programming including a Shakespeare Festival for area schools, a successful and on-going children’s Summer Workshop Program for students entering Kindergarten through young adult, children’s participatory plays, Mainstage productions ranging from musicals and plays to original works, joint productions with the Delaware County Symphony, Annual Cabaret Nights, as well as an ongoing commitment to diverse, dynamic, and innovative educational and entertainment programming. 

Today Center Stage Productions is still growing and creating collaborative and cross-generational opportunities for performers. The passionate individuals working to push organization forward and grow its reach within our local community believe that nothing compares to the vast and irreplaceable experience of individualized learning experience CSP provides. The CSP family is committed to enrich the lives of anyone who walks through its doors with the thrill of collaborative creation, working to create an ever-growing community that anyone can call "home."

The NU Jazz Band

Since its founding in 2002, the Neumann University Jazz Band has grown into a dynamic cornerstone of the campus performing arts community, uniting students, faculty, and staff through the shared language of music. 

The Jazz Band has become a significant and entertaining component of the performing arts scene on campus. With a repertoire that spans the swing-era standards to contemporary works blending jazz, pop, and rock, the ensemble offers both artistic breadth and creativity.

Under the guidance of faculty member Richard Sayers, Ph.D., students take a meaningful and active role in the life of the organization – selecting music performances each semester, shaping performances, and pursuing off-campus engagements that position the band as ambassadors for Neumann in the broader community.

Through this combination of musical excellence, leadership development, and service, along with the option to earn academic credit, the Jazz Band delivers a high-impact, experiential learning environment that strengthens them as musicians, collaborators, and enhances the campus culture.

The Delaware County Symphony

The Delaware County Symphony (DCS) was established in 1971, when the orchestra changed its name from the Media Community Symphony. In 1975, the DCS merged with the Springfield Sinfonietta, and Roman Pawlowski was selected as the music director of this combined group the following year. The DCS operated under the sponsorship of the Delaware County Community College until 1987, when the DCS moved to the Life Center at Neumann College (now Neumann University) in Aston, Pa.

Mr. Pawlowski retired in 2010, and was succeeded by Jeremy Gill. In 2013, Dr. Gill relocated to Boston and Tim Ribchester served as interim music director until 2015. Joseph Caminiti was selected as music director the following year, but resigned in 2019. Sebastian Grand was appointed music director of the DCS in 2021.

Over the years, the DCS has performed at various regional venues, including the Kimmel Center Perelman Theater, Wilmington Grand Opera House, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Media Theatre, and Rose Tree Park. The DCS has also provided small ensemble performances at regional places of worship, parks, and commercial properties.

The DCS was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in 1988. It is governed by a Board of Directors whose members are elected from individuals both within and outside of the symphony orchestra.

The mission of the Delaware County Symphony (DCS) is to inspire greater appreciation of classical orchestral music by providing a variety of performance and educational experiences to musicians and residents of the region. This mission is best satisfied when all DCS members - musicians, volunteers, paid staff, and board of directors - are afforded the opportunity to grow, contribute, and develop their talents for the betterment of themselves, the orchestra, and our community. 

As part of their mission, DCS offers an outreach program called The DCS Symphony Explorers, which is a free introduction to symphonic music for school age children accompanied by a parent or guardian. At each event, the children will learn about a specific orchestral instrument AND have the opportunity to experience part of a rehearsal. The children are invited to sit as part of the orchestra on stage to observe the interactions between the conductor and the musicians. DCS Symphony Explorers takes place on select Monday evenings in the McNichol Art Gallery in the Thomas A. Bruder Life Center Building at Neumann University.

International Ballet Classique

Established in 2003, our production company is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of classical ballet and new and creative ideas in the arts. 

To accomplish this mission, International Ballet Classique produces and stages professional level ballet performances, ballet festivals, lecture demonstrations, which all endeavor to make ballet and dance in general available to a wider and even more diverse audience.

In addition to presenting The Nutcracker ballet each year at Neumann’s Fred P. Meagher Theatre, our company produces several other full-length classical ballets: Coppelia, Giselle, Paquita, Peter & the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals, excerpts from Swan Lake, the Sabre Dance from the ballet Gayaneh, Les Apparitions, and children fairy tale ballets, as well as dance festivals, including works by contemporary choreographers and multicultural world dance events.

IBC is committed to "sharing the art of classical ballet" with "outstanding leadership, vision, and talent." 

The Cultural Arts Forum

Founded by Dr. Margaret Mary Kearney, a former broadcast personality and friend of Neumann University, the Cultural Arts Forum hosts a variety of events each year to foster cultural programming and enrich the educational experiences of the University and the larger community. Proceeds from these events benefit the Dr. Margaret Mary Kearney student scholarship, which assists non-traditional students. The Cultural Arts Forum, also known as the CAF, hosts lectures on the first Thursday of each month (excluding January, June, July, and August) as well as other programming throughout the year including, but not limited to, their Designer Bag Bingo and High Tea, all in an effort to raise money for the scholarship and bring culture to both the Neumann and local communities. 

The McNichol Art Gallery

The McNichol Art Gallery is a vital cultural touchpoint at Neumann University, positioning the arts as a catalyst for connection, reflection, and dialogue. By hosting exhibitions from emerging artists from across the region, the gallery extends the classroom into a living, evolving creative space where new voices and perspectives are elevated.

These rotating exhibits – typically on view for two months – invite students to engage directly with working artists and contemporary ideas, enriching academic experience while fostering visual literacy, critical thinking, and creative inspiration.

Bridging the gap between both the University and the greater community, this gallery brings art to the forefront here at Neumann University, bringing people together.

The Art Guild at Neumann University

The Art Guild has been an integral part of promoting and uplifting the arts at both Neumann University and the surrounding community, and its inception and nurturing over the years is rooted in the work of one man in particular. For the last twenty-one years, Nicholas DiMarino has served as the Coordinator of Cultural Programming at Neumann University. Before assuming this position, he taught social sciences and performing arts to seventh through twelfth grade students for over thirty years. He is a founding member of the Board of Directors of The Arts Guild at Neumann University. As coordinator, his position affords him the opportunity to coordinate all the performing and visual arts programs at the university. Nicholas or “Nick” is also the Founder and Executive Director of Center Stage Productions, and over his very long career, he has produced and directed musical productions, dramas, and workshops for theater enthusiasts of all ages. Active in the community, he has been honored by many civic and educational groups for his devotion to teaching and promoting the performing arts, including one such honor that helps us as a Neumann community look toward the next sixty years.

As part of the current capital campaign, Nick and his efforts with the TAG have been honored in the naming of the forthcoming Nicholas J. DiMarino Blackbox Theatre on Neumann University’s campus. A black box theater is a blank canvas for expression. With flexible staging, lighting, and seating, it allows students to experiment, innovate, and connect with audiences in powerful new ways. From student performances to community collaborations, this space will be the creative heartbeat of our campus arts community. This space will serve as another medium to promote the arts and a sense of community here at Neumann University with efforts to bring this dream into reality already bringing people together to celebrate the arts. On November 25, 2025, Neumann University hosted “Behind The Curtain,” a gala celebrating the arts and raising funds for this blackbox theatre, during which volunteers from Delaware County Symphony, Center Stage Productions, and the local community came together to produce a one-night-only performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The evening embodied the spirit of community arts, non-profit volunteerism, and the mission of the Sisters of Saint Francis through a spectacular and triumphant performance, proving how essential an arts presence is in building community and promoting joy.

As we approach our 60th Anniversary, it is important to reflect on the incredible feats the arts have accomplished here at Neumann, both seen and unseen. In terms of the next sixty years and continuing the Sister’s legacy, it is our duty to continue creating spaces for imaginations to flourish and communities to align, and with the arts, all of that and more is possible.