The Factory Theatre

I just had the worst experience I’ve ever had at a venue seeing Lucha Fantástica at the Factory. My partner and I went with my daughter and her boyfriend who are going overseas in two days, we’re minding our own business watching the show when security comes up, asks to see my daughter and her boyfriend’s entry stamps. They show him, but by this time the stamps have worn out so they offer to show him their tickets. He refuses, says they have to go outside with him. We go with them, once outside we show the bouncer our tickets, but this still doesn’t settle it for some reason and he won’t tell us what the issue is so I ask to see the manager. Presently an angry man exuding toxic masculine aggression called Patrick turns up, establishes we have tickets, goes aside with the bouncer and confers, then comes back and accuses my daughter and her boyfriend of doing drugs in the disabled toilet. They deny it, he tells them he has security camera proof, so my daughter says great, let’s look at it. He says it’s not worth his time to go and look at it. He then starts accusing them of going into another show they didn’t have tickets for, which they didn’t. At this point it’s gone from absurdity to absurdity, he throwing out random accusations. One minute he says my partner and I can go back in, but not the other two, when I get annoyed about this and refuse to go back in without them he gets angry, says I can’t go back in but they can. Even through he still maintains they were doing drugs and he can prove it, and he threatens to fine them $550 for going in the disabled toilet, even though they never went near it, but still refuses to show us the security footage. In the end the night’s been ruined anyway and none of us want to go back in even if he were to let us, so we leave, $66 bucks a head down and a couple of hundred on drinks. I’m a Marrickville local, The Factory has been one of my favourite venues for comedy, gigs and SUFF for years, but it’s been thoroughly tarnished by this experience, and this delusional, aggressive, fragile manager, Patrick (if indeed that’s his name). I must say, though, the bouncer, despite being on an erroneous mission from the beginning, was courteous and professional at all times.