About

About Us

Tantrum Youth Arts exists to amplify the voices of young people through creativity. Through our workshops, programs and performances, Tantrum makes young people feel confident, connected, creative and heard.

Make Noise

Express yourself. Be heard. Listen. Question everything. Discover your own voice. Bounce off others. Tantrum is a community of young people who have something to say.

Make Connections

Connect with ideas. Connect with people. Make new friends. Explore your community. Collaborate as artists to push the boundaries of what performance can DO.

Make Change

Accept yourself. Change your life for the better. Change others’ lives for the better. Change the world. No matter how big or how small.

Tantrum is the leading professional youth arts company in the Hunter region (NSW, Australia) and a not-for-profit co-operative. Utilising performance, storytelling and so much more, we offer meaningful creative workshops, projects and opportunities for young people aged 5 to 30 that build confidence, connections and compassion.

We believe artistic expression is a powerful tool for young people to make sense of themselves, their community and the world around them, leading to change.

We’re a hub for local emerging artists who want to carve out their own sustainable arts practice within our region, through skills development, networking and making bold new performance.

We’re an employer of local artists and art workers who are passionate about taking a creative approach towards making a social impact, supporting young people to become makers and doers in their own way.

Tantrum is for every young person but especially those who feel left out, like they don’t belong or that their voices aren’t being heard. We hear you. We see you. We invite and support young people from diverse backgrounds with different abilities and unique skills to come as they are and express themselves in whatever way works for them. We believe that once you embrace your own creativity and learn to accept yourself, you’re ready to look beyond yourself to make positive change in the world.

We're reclaiming tantrums...

Some define a tantrum as an uncontrolled expression of emotion, typically by a child.
But to us, a tantrum is about:

Making noise and listening to the response
Expressing yourself in a way that works for you
Strength in numbers and bouncing off each other
Making the most of the journey without knowing exactly where you’re headed
Being heard, being seen and looking beyond yourself
Being yourself

Make Noise. Make Connections. Make Change.

Youth Arts in the Hunter for Over 40 Years

Our History

Tantrum has been making noise in the Hunter for over 40 years. Established in 1976 under the name 2 Til 5 Youth Theatre Co-op as a Saturday afternoon drama workshop program, the company grew steadily through the making of bold, original performances with young people aged 8 to 18.

In 1996, 2 Til 5 established Tantrum Theatre, an off-shoot company catering to emerging artists aged 18 to 25, and the two companies later merged.

In 2014, we relaunched as Tantrum Youth Arts to better reflect our vision and the work we do: providing a space for young people to be makers and doers, while exploring multiple forms of creative expression, to empower confidence, connections and compassion.