Venue information

Nau mai, haere mai ki te Factory Theatre!

We are proud to present this versatile, affordable and innovative focused performance space in Ōnehunga. You’ll find all the information you need to get started with hiring The Factory Theatre for your performance including cost, ticketing, your requirements as a hirer, what we can offer you and general FAQs. If you have a question that is not covered, please get in touch with us to discuss.

We cannot wait to see what you bring to The Factory Theatre, and look forward to being a part of your creative journey!

Theater Chairs

Key contact details

Administrator
Connie Boston – 021 655 963/[email protected]

Executive Director
Richard Green – 021 655 633/[email protected]

Physical address
80 Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland, 1061

Venue Support
After hours emergency number – 021 655 803

The Factory Theatre
[email protected]

Mailing address
P.O. Box 131100, Onehunga, Auckland, 1643

Pricing

We know this is the most important thing when looking for a venue for your work, so we have broken our pricing structure down into three tiers. These three tiers are then split into peak and off-peak hourly rates, half day, full-day and performance.

Anything with a ticketed audience in attendance is a performance, and qualifies for that rate. If you are not ticketing your show (ie doing pay-as-you-can-at-the-door or koha), then we will work together to determine the rate for your usage.

The half and full day rates are ideal for rehearsals, pack-in, tech, dress, workshops, classes, or if you just need a big empty room to run around in for a few hours.

Are you a group of people who usually perform in your grandparents/aunts/cousins basement? Are you working on a passion project that you’re paying for out of your own pocket? Then the unfunded rate is for you. The unfunded rate also applies to groups who are charging less than $25 per ticket and have no major funding backing them.

The funded rate applies to groups who have received funding – be it from larger funding partners, government/local council bodies or crowdfunding. This rate also applies to those who charge more than $25 per ticket (even if you have no funding backing you).

If you are a commercial organisation (production company, limited company, governmental body) then the commercial rate is for you! If you’re a film crew looking for a venue for a wrap party, a life coach looking for a space to hold a convention, or any other commercial operation, then you qualify under the commercial rate.

Community/Unfunded Rates

Hourly

Off-Peak:$25.00
Peak :$60.00

Half-day (5 hours)

$300.00

Full day (10 hours)

$600.00

Per Performance

$340.00

Funded/Educational institution Rates

Hourly

Off-Peak: $35.00
Peak: $70.00

Half-day (5 hours)

$350.00

Full day (10 hours)

$700.00

Per Performance

$490.00

Commercial Rates

Hourly

Off-Peak: $60.00
Peak: $95.00

Half-day (5 hours)

$475.00

Full day (10 hours)

$1150.00

Per Performance

$820.00

We have a few notes on the pricing structure – we want to be as upfront as possible so there are no surprises at the close of your season.

  • PLEASE NOTE: The above costs are excluding GST, and are not a complete list of costs – a full cost breakdown is included as part of your hire agreement.
  • The hourly rate refers to either the Peak or Off-Peak time. Our Off-Peak times are Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm, and Peak times are everything outside of this (ie weekends, late nights and early morning).
  • The half day and full day rates are not applicable for ticketed performances. These half and full day rates are what you would select for your pack in, tech, dress and pack out dates – you can choose to do this hourly if you wish, but the minimum hourly booking is 3 hours.
  • PLEASE NOTE: If you are not bringing your own Tech Operator for lighting and sound, we can supply one for you at an additional $35 p/h, with a minimum call of 3 hours.
  • The per-performance rate includes 4 hours of our venue access, plus the cost of having a Venue Coordinator for those 4 hours – this person will likely be your Box Office sales person, but will not be able to operate your show.
  • All rates include a Venue Coordinator to be on site with you – this is a non-negotiable aspect to the hireage, but they will also be on site to help you with questions HOWEVER this Venue Coordinator may not necessarily have tech experience – all tech queries should be sent to [email protected] for us to process.
  • A basic sound and lighting package is included as part of the hire rates. Any additional equipment must be sourced through The Production Company in the first instance.
  • Please note that the space and the staff are charged in hourly blocks – if you go over-time, you will be charged for the additional hour/s required.

Examples

If you’re a community group putting on a devised piece over 5 nights, with 2 half day hires, plus 3 additional off-peak hours for pack-in and are supplying your own tech operator:

  • 5x $340 per performance fee – $1700
  • 2x half day hire – $600
  • 3x off-peak hours – $75

Total cost: $2375 + GST

If you sell 60 tickets per performance at $20, you will clear around $3,000 (after venue hire costs and iTicket fees).

If you’re a production company with funding support by a major funding partner who are putting on a 10-performance run, with one full day and two half day hires and are using our tech operator:

  • 10x $490 – per performance fee – $4900
  • 1x full day hire – $700
  • 2x half day hire – $700
  • 50x Tech hours – $1750

Total cost: $8050 + GST

If you sell out (100 tickets per show) at a ticket cost of $35, you will clear around $22,000 (after venue hire costs and iTicket fees).

Payment information

Factory Theater About Us

If you are not ticketing your event, we require a deposit for your hire. This deposit is typically 20% of the estimated total hire cost and is required to be paid out at time of booking to secure your dates. You must settle the remaining hire costs 3 business days before you enter the space.

If you are ticketing your event, within 5 working days after your season has closed, we will send you an itemised settlement invoice. This will include information on how many tickets you sold, at what price, how much iTicket took for fees, what our venue fees are and any other fees you may incur (if you set off the alarm, if anything is broken) but most importantly, how much you will receive after those costs have been deducted.

We will request your bank details and settlement will be paid out within 10 working days of us receiving this information.

Venue and technical information

The Factory Theatre has a venue capacity of 105 total, with the seats set out in our default setting. If you want to change the layout of the space (more on this later) you may lose some of this capacity – you will need to make this choice before you start selling tickets! In regards to COVID-19 and the ongoing framework, we will monitor this information and inform you if anything changes due to government regulations.

We are a General Admission only venue – we do not allocate seats through ticketing. If you would like to reserve seats (for VIP’s, sponsors, etc), you may do so, however we reserve the right to cap allocation at 10 seats per performance.

You can sell a maximum of 100 tickets per show in pre-sales. The theatre holds 5 tickets per show for sponsors/comps and if these aren’t allocated to anyone by performance day, they are available as door sales.

The space is approximately 11.5 x 12 metres and has concrete floors and walls. We provide fixed staging decks, but if you would like to bring in portable dance floor, please discuss with us the best ways to secure that.

Theater Seats

The theatre will be set out in our default arrangement with the staging at the back of the space, and seating laid out in rows facing the stage. If you want to make any alterations to this for your performance (i.e. move to traverse) there will be a $75 + GST moving fee to cover out staff costs to set this up for you, and reset once you’ve completed your season.

If you are opting to not have the staging set up, there is a $100 + GST fee to pack the staging down, which also covers the cost of us resetting at the end of your hire period. If you are coming in for a workshop and want the seats and staging packed away, the fee is $150 + GST.

To recap: moving the seats/staging = $75 + GST; packing down the stage to have a bare floor = $100 + GST; packing the seats and staging away = $150 + GST.

Please note that the seats and staging all stay in the theatre – we do not have offsite storage. For those of you who need as much floor space as possible, we pack the staging behind the drapes and push the chairs to the sides of the room to give you as much floor space as possible!

Things to note

  • Please be aware that there is no way to exit the theatre once you’re on the stage (we don’t have a backstage that leads out to the green rooms) so unless you make exiting down the aisle in a dramatic fashion part of your performance, you must have everything you need behind your set for the duration of your performance.
  • Wings have been constructed with drapes, and during your pack in, we can help maneuver these depending on your requirements.
  • We require your tech specs a minimum of 7 working days before your pack in. We have a basic lighting and sound package (more info on that later), so anything outside of this you will need to source, and let us know so that we can make in-house arrangements. We have contact information for The Production Co who are our preferred suppliers who can help you out with everything else you may need.
  • THE BIG THING: Please let us know as soon as possible if you would like us to secure a venue tech for you.

Ushers

We have a rotating staff able to usher for your shows, but we also encourage you to use your own team if possible. If using our staff, please let us know any details of intermissions, cast exiting the theatre during the performance, or anything else that our ushers may be able to help you with.

  • Are you looking for an immersive experience where our ushers wear a small piece of costuming to welcome the audience in?
  • Are you putting on a murder-mystery show and you need the ushers to secretly select an audience member to hide a key prop?

Talk to us about it! Many of our ushers are members of the arts community too, and they want to see you succeed just as much as we do. Please note that Ushers sourced through us will come at an additional cost.

Parking

We have 39 free parking spaces on site which are first come, first served. We encourage you and your audiences to think about utilising carpooling and public transport options – we are steps away from the Onehunga train line, and several bus stops.

Gloucester park is also very close by which has some limited free parking, and there is plenty of neighborhood parking further up Onehunga Mall Road.

Bar information

We are a fully licensed premises, and have a variety of food and beverages available. Our lounge area opens an hour before the scheduled start time of your show so that your audiences can come and enjoy some food and a drink before the show.

If you’re running an open rehearsal, have an invite-only performance or a daytime event outside of our liquor license hours, we will serve snacks and non-alcoholic beverages for your attendees.

We can also do catering! Talk to us today about your needs.

Please note that we do not allow BYO – we’re a theatre, not a house party. This applies to any outside food or drink during your performances. Please enquire with us about our range of catering options!

Technical information

You are welcome to bring your own operator, but we need to know at least 10 working days before your performance. Our lighting is set at a neutral position, so you will need to plot as part of your pack in or tech. At the close of your show, your pack out time will also need to include returning the lights to the neutral position. Here is a list of the lighting and sound package that we offer:

  • Theatrical wash
  • PA with 2x handheld radio mics

As part of your hire agreement, you must have a Venue Coordinator on site for your pack in/rigging, tech and dress rehearsals and pack out, and of course, for your performances too. This Coordinator is on site to make sure that you are following our Health and Safety requirements.

If you require additional lighting or sound for your performances, you must use The Production Company in the first instance to source these items – 09 820 9730 / [email protected]

Atmos and smoke

Please talk to us if you wish to include atmos or smoke in your performances – this will be approved on a case by case basis.

Weapons, firearms, etc

Please mention in your hire enquiry if your performance requires the use of weapons or firearms, or anything out of the ordinary.

Kete Aronui

Directly underneath The Factory Theatre lies a magical place called Kete Aronui. If you’re not already familiar, Kete Aronui is the home our 5 rehearsal rooms within the same building. If you’re putting on a show at The Factory Theatre, talk to

us about special rates we can offer you for rehearsals as part of your season. Kete Aronui will also be the place if you need a disability friendly green-room for your performances.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is available in all areas of The Factory Theatre and Kete Aronui and will be provided to you upon arrival.

APRA music rights

If you are using any pre-existing recorded music in your show, you should contact APRA to ensure you are complying with music rights. You may need to do this well in advance (think 2-3 months) of your performances.

Health and safety

Our full Health and Safety Guidelines will be provided to you when you sign an agreement, and you will need to ensure that all guidelines are being followed when working at The Factory Theatre. We will arrange a suitable time for you to have a meeting with one of our Venue representatives to go over the basics of this before you pack in.

Pack in

The timing of your pack in will be mutually agreed upon and subject to Venue Supervisor availability. Prior to your pack in, we will send you a Pack In Logistics Checklist to make sure you have everything arranged in order for your pack in to go as smoothly as possible.

Pack out

In most circumstances your pack out may need to happen immediately after your closing night. We will let you know at least 2 weeks before you open when your pack out needs to occur by. This will include you re-setting lights back to normal with supervision from your Venue Coordinator, making sure you have all your set pieces, props, costumes and any additional equipment that you brought in.

We typically do the walk through of the theatre the next business day (unless we have shows back to back), so you will know if there is anything outstanding that needs to be addressed. And remember, please clean up after yourselves – your parents don’t work here.

Box office information

Ticket sales

iTicket is our ticketing provider – as part of the hire agreement package, you will be given a document to complete with all the information needed to make your event a success. You will need to submit your promotional materials (banner, promo photos) for your iTicket page, but we will give you all the specs for these.

You will also be given the rate sheet with an indicative cost per ticket of the fees iTicket will take, and what your customer pays. You can pick your own ticket pricing, and we are always available to help with any questions around this.

We have the capacity to do door sales on the night, including tickets for future shows. iTicket will get you set up with an event page which you can use in all your promotions. Speaking of promotions…

Marketing

Marketing

While iTicket have things they need to get your event page up and running, we also want to help you promote your event.

  • Want to film a video at the theatre for promotional purposes?
  • Need a photographer to come and take some promo pictures of rehearsals?

We know some people! If you have videos, photos, or anything else that you’d like us to push across our social media channels, we would be more than happy to do so. Are you printing posters to market your event? We have a great rehearsal venue on site full of lots of creative people who might want to come and see your event, and there is lots of wall space.

Is your show running for a longer period at The Factory? Talk to us about having your promotional images as our banner on our social media channels. We want to help you make your show a success, but please don’t rely on us to do all your marketing for you. We’re happy to be involved in the process, and if you have any specific requests we will do our best to accommodate them, but at the end of the day, your marketing is your responsibility.

FAQs

The first step is to read this document! Once you’ve absorbed all the information, send us an email to: [email protected] with a one-page proposal of your show. Make sure to include how many performances you want to put on, and across what dates.

To check prospective dates, please get in touch with us.

Absolutely! We actually recommend that you do, so that you can see first-hand if our theatre is right for you.

You sure can! Our prices are per show, not per night – so make sure you mention if you’re doing two shows per day. We have a special rate for split bills.

We support all types of artistry – theatre, dance, stand-up, improv, circus, burlesque, you name it. If you have a really out-of-the-box idea, call or email us to discuss!

We have 5 rigging points in the truss designed for all elements of aerial performance. Chat to us today about using that in your show!

You certainly can – our hourly theatre rates will apply, and remember that you can’t leave anything behind overnight unless prior arrangement has been made.

Nope! If there is something special that you want on the bar for your performance, you must discuss this with us well in advance.

Contact us! Our office hours are Monday-Friday 9:30am-5pm. Please note that these hours are subject to change.

Most of the photos in this guide are courtesy of our very first production – The Potential for Rain, put on by Navi Collaborative, and shot by Lara Macgregor. Additional in-house photography provided by staff, and some photos from a season of I Don’t Wanna Dance Alone from Jang Huddle.

We can’t wait to see you perform soon!