PRESS

 CEDAR CITY — A new performing arts training facility is set to open its doors in Cedar City. The InterMountain Performing Arts Conservatory, or IMPAC, aims to provide children ages 6-18 with educational opportunities to build their acting, singing and dancing skills. 

IMPAC’s founders are Brandon Burk and Tamera Merkley, both of whom have extensive theatrical experience.

“There’s a lot of talent in Cedar City,” Burk told Cedar City News during a short informal tour of IMPAC’s studio, which is set to have a public open house this coming Thursday, Feb. 16.

“We see it every year at Cedar City Star Search, we see it at Dancing with the Stars and all of the performance opportunities that are here,” he continued. “We’ve got CCMT (Cedar City Children’s Musical Theater), we’ve got CVCT (Cedar Valley Community Theater), we’ve got the Shakespeare Festival and SimonFest. And with all of those opportunities for people to perform, none of those folks really have a place other than at the university, where they can train and learn how to improve those skills.”

Now actors and dancers in Cedar City will have the option for theatrical training without having to make a trip out of town.

“Down in St. George, they have a number of options,” Burk added. “They’ve got Encore, they’ve got COPA (Utah Conservatory of Performing Arts at Tuacahn), where Tam used to teach. But we don’t have anything like that up here in Cedar City. So we just see it as an underserved area.”

Merkley said a number of students she has taught at COPA over the past few years have already begun making an impact on stage.

“Kids who started with us are now out there in the world, doing big things, Broadway, Tuacahn, you know, just out there being successful,” Merkley said. “We’re hoping to create that same thing here at IMPAC.”

“We want to feed the performance opportunities that are here in Cedar City,” Burk added in agreement. “We want to feed the Shakespeare Festival. We want to feed SUU’s theater program.”

Burk added that he and Merkley are hoping to make IMPAC a “one-stop shop” for people of all ages who want to learn, practice and refine their skills in the performing arts. 

While students will be able focus on certain aspects of performing, such as acting, dancing or singing, they will receive instruction and practice in all of those areas during the semester classes, mini-sessions and workshops, Burk said.

Private tutoring sessions are also available for those who desire more advanced or specific training, he added.

“The biggest hurdle for us right now is getting the word out and getting the word out to the right people, making sure that families and people who are interested in the arts, and we’ve got a lot of them here in Cedar, that they are finding out about us, what we do and where we are.”

IMPAC’s first two five-week training sessions have been announced, with a Classic Broadway class running from March 7 through April 8 and a Disney Broadway class from April 18 through May 20. Each session will consist of classes Tuesdays through Thursdays, plus showcases on Saturdays.

Registration is $150, with a $15 family discount given for each additional sibling. For more information, visit IMPAC’s website or its Facebook page.

It is a well-recognized fact that Cedar City is rich in performing theatrical groups — professional, community, and educational — that provide performance opportunities for working professional and eager amateur actors of all levels and ages.   No one who wants to be on stage need ever be without an opportunity in this town.  But it has occurred to former Shakespeare Festival actor, Brandon Burk, that many aspiring thespians could benefit from some focused training in performing arts skills such as acting, voice, and dance.  To that end, Brandon has written and made available the following information:

Brandon has teamed up with another professional musical theatre performer and instructor from St. George, Tamera Merkley , a former instructor at the Conservatory of Performing Arts, located on the Tuacahn campus.  They have founded InterMountain Performing Arts Conservatory, or IMPAC, a year-round studio that focuses on professional-level training in acting, voice, and musical theatre-style dance.  They are currently offering private lessons and are ready to launch their first set of group classes with their Classic Broadway Mini Sessions on March 7th.  (A second session will focus on Disney on Broadway.)  The sessions will consist of three classes per week over a five-week period.  The sessions are open to ages 6-18, separated into three age groups.  At the end of the session, a public showcase will present the students with their newly-acquired skills before a live audience.  To sign up, you can go to www.im-pac.com.

When asked whether they would be in competition with Cedar City Children’s Musical Theatre, Brandon emphatically answered, “Absolutely not!  We love CCCMT and our aim is to act as support for those performance opportunities.  Our focus is primarily on training that will make those young performers be the best they can be.”

The new theatre school will not be for just youngsters.  Brandon and Tamera are already working individually with voice and acting students of all ages, and IMPAC will soon offer workshops and open-enrollment group classes for adults as well.  “We want this to be a one-stop shop for performing arts training in Cedar City,” Tamera says.

IMPAC will be hosting an open house event on February 16th from 4 to 8 P.M. in their new studio located at 389 North, 100 West, Suite 100, in Cedar City.  More details will be forthcoming.  In fact, you may expect many exciting announcements from IMPAC in the coming weeks and months.  If you want to stay informed about upcoming classes and opportunities, check out their website and join their contact list, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.