In close proximity to Lancaster, PA, there is Lititz, a town of about 9,000 that’s home to The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery and the Wilbur Chocolate Factory. Surrounded by dairy farms and cornfields, Lititz is also located in Pennsylvania Dutch country, an area closely associated with the Amish, known for their simpler way of living, horse and carriages, quilts, suspenders and the shunning of the public power grid and modern appliances.
Enter Rock Lititz
So it’s somewhat ironic that Rock Lititz Studio — located six miles north of “quaint and simple” Lancaster — is a partnership between two of the most progressive and influential companies in the not-so-staid world of touring entertainment. Lititz-based Clair Global and Tait Towers have officially opened their doors to the music and event touring industry in a venture that’s sure to enlighten industry pros as another benefit of a trip to the Pennsylvania Dutch country. Driving up to the Rock Lititz compound is as impressive as the appearance of Stanley Kubrick’s monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Rising one hundred feet in the air and dressed in show black, this imposing 52,000 square foot main stage is the first realization of a 96-acre, multi-faceted compound touted as the “Backstage of the World.”
As a music destination, Lititz doesn’t yet have the allure of New York, L.A. and Nashville, but let’s not forget that a backstage is not a particularly glamorous area, nor is it intended to be portrayed as such. Therefore, if we define the backstage as a comfortable workspace with all the necessary tools and resources required for building a show, it seems that we have defined the mission of Rock Lititz. The backstage of the world indeed!
Big Shows, Big Needs
The fireworks once employed in the infancy of the rock ‘n’ roll touring era have matured into technologically driven events with huge production needs. What was once accomplished with a little smoke, lights, mirrors and a stacked sound system now requires huge sets, trussing, sound, lights and video to engage techno-savvy audiences of 25,000 people and up. The challenge of staging an event of this size and nature requires space and time. The accepted standard for rehearsing shows of this magnitude has usually been a six- to eight-week rental of a sound stage or sports arena in a major entertainment hub. As one can imagine, a venture of this nature is both monetarily demanding and problematic in terms of the availability of a suitable space in a convenient location.
Often, when a venue is procured, sacrifices are made due to restrictions in size/layout of the rehearsal and production space. In some instances, the ceiling may be too low to actually do real-time staging of set, lights and video and — though the venue may be spacious — the accommodations in many of these locations are not intended to house these types of touring productions. Sometimes, venues rented for these staging rehearsals are a great distance from the vendors and designers providing the set pieces and equipment and when changes are made, or missing parts are requested, the shipping of these items is a costly and challenging proposition that can delay the production schedule. The worst part of renting these sites is that due to other venue obligations, the whole production may be required to strike the show and come back another day or even move to a new location.
Lititz is home to both Tait Towers and Clair Global as well as other touring industry leaders and, after many tours together, the partnership between these two “road scholar” giants seems to be a natural outcome of their shared frustrations and future needs. To alleviate the previously mentioned pre-tour aggravations the partners purchased 96 acres of farmland on which to build their ‘Backstage of the World” complex. With a price tag of over $7 million dollars, last fall the Rock Lititz Studio opened to great fanfare and accolades from touring pros, many of whom were consulted during the design and building phase.
Specifics
The 52,000 square foot facility stands 100 feet tall and measures 80 feet to the grid with an open 125 x 240 foot rehearsal space and another 22,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor dining, rehearsal space, production rooms, dressing rooms and a large kitchen that’s operated by a local restaurant. Wi-Fi was a major concern voiced by tour managers, but at Rock Lititz, the Wi-Fi is provided throughout the building so everybody can be streaming or Skyping without interfering with the production office. The building can support a maximum rigging load of one million pounds and as an extra amenity, a mirror image of the grid, which spans the entire ceiling, is etched into the concrete floor alleviating any neck stretching as one decides upon their hang points. With seven 400 amp 3-phase panels power is never an issue and there are four loading bays, parking for 90 cars and a staging area for 30 trucks. Vendors and designers are all on-site or in close proximity to Rock Lititz, should a part or piece require repair or replacement.
Studio manager Sarah Zeitler gave me a tour and introduced me to operations manager Gary Ferenchak. Both are affable, outgoing and fully aware that while much of what they do is centered on the technical production, they are still service providers who need to accommodate the technical pros and artists who use the facility. Sarah has a background in Broadway theater, while Gary was a touring engineer with groups such as Good Charlotte and Gwar. Sarah is familiar with most of the hotels in the Delaware Valley Tri-State area as well as the various dining spots near Lancaster/Lititz and can direct incoming tour managers according to their needs. Gary is not just a facility manager who can turn on the lights and open the docks, but as a seasoned touring pro, he understands the needs of production managers and can provide them with anything from sound advice to knowledgeable labor crews.
Secrets Unveiled
Artists scheduled to use the facilities at Rock Lititz are a well-guarded secret (as is the price of renting the facility), but while there I spoke with FOH engineer Orris Henry, crew chief/system tech David Quigley and tour director Jesse Sandler from Nickelback, the current tenant. Orris spoke briefly about the new DiGiCo SD10 console he’s using for the tour and expressed a little console envy, as his monitor engineer Glenn Collett is using the DiGiCo SD5. We walked onto the main floor to see the Clair rig, which consists of Clair i-5 and i-5b line arrays with Align Array rigging and Coherent Transfer Midrange (CTM) technology for the front hang and Clair i-3 line arrays for side coverage. Both arrays are powered and controlled by Lab.gruppen PLM series amplifiers. On the ground, a steered array of Clair CP218 subs provided low-end, with Clair CO-8’s used for front and VIP fills.
While the work centers around setting up and staging the show, there were concerns regarding how everyone could survive weeks of rehearsals without big city amenities, but once at Rock Lititz, it became a moot point. Everyone raved about the on-site catering and added that downtown Lancaster felt like a city with nothing lacking. According to Zeitler, one of the favorite watering holes is the Bulls Head Public House at The General Sutter Inn, which serves up a good meal and a great selection of beer. This is important to know, since most productions go better when they are in close proximity to good food and drink.
All in all, Rock Lititz is a sensational undertaking and the space is impressive, both in form as well as adaptability to any given production. The attention to detail is noteworthy even down to the design of openings high up on the walls so cables leading from one room to another do not need to run on the floor and interfere with doorways. The dressing rooms are nicely furnished, comfortable and well-stocked and there are even three clean showers for those who may not have time to run back to their hotel room. As Rock Lititz is in its beginning stages, I’m sure that there will be some snags that require untangling, but it appears that whatever problems arise will be countered with a solution from the experienced and well traveled team of Clair-Tait. The reputation of both companies precedes them, and the Rock Lititz venture seems committed to providing great production services as the complex grows into the forefront of “The Backstage of the World.”
