Help Me Launch My Business In India

Dear friends, colleagues and extended community,

Please help me raise $100000 in start-up funds to launch my business, East of the Sun Studios! The business structure consists of two interdependent studios, one for actor training and one for yoga and wellness. Yoga classes and a weekly actor's performance laboratory are being offered immediately. I will launch one-on-one artist development coaching by March. A formal actor's training program is in the planning stages and several workshops and one retreat are slated for launch later this year.

I urgently need to raise $2500 to register my business in Hungary, secure my studio space and purchase basic equipment so that I can open my doors.

The $2500 will cover the following:

• $200 court registration fees for opening a Hungarian business
  
• $400 minimum capital deposit required by Hungarian law when opening a business of my type
  
• $1000 to secure my studio space for January and February
  
• $300 lawyers fee for business registration process
  
• $400 - $500 studio equipment (yoga supplies, lighting, teaching materials)
  
• $100 website domain and local marketing
  

Registering my business opens many doors and resources for me such as access to EU business loans and marketing platforms. It also makes me legal to work in the EU which opens the door to contracts with schools, universities, theatre companies and other yoga studios.

Donating to my campaign will help me launch a worthwhile business that will serve my local community well and also help me establish my livelihood in my new country (I moved to Hungary in April with my mother).

Details on my vision and philosophy for the business, my professional background supporting it, and what I plan to implement can be read below. FAQs can be read further down.

Thank you all for any contribution you are able to make! Even the smallest donation helps so much.

xox Melitta

---

BUSINESS VISION, PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND, PHILOSOPHY & IMPLEMENTATION OF SERVICES

THE VISION

This innovative studio is a vision I have been nurturing and developing for many years. It combines exceptional actor training, drawing on both Eastern and Western performance practices, with a foundation in yoga and holistic wellness to support actors pursue careers in a challenging industry. This is an approach to actor training that has never been done before and I hope it will generate interest and discussion in the international theatre community with the potential towards becoming a recognized actor training method. In this approach I am marrying what I consider the best of the several methods and modalities I have trained in.

I also have a strong commitment to making yoga available to the general public, so classes and workshops will also be available to non-actors.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

My rich and extensive background as a performer, teacher, director, and yoga practitioner informs this project. I have over 30 years experience in the performing arts as a classical singer, dancer and choreographer, and theatre director with extensive experience as a teaching artist at the university level and with children aged 4 to 12. I hold an M.A. in Theatre from New York University and B.A. in Psychology from the American University in Washington, D.C. I trained in classical vocal technique at the Peabody Conservatory and later studied privately with vocal coaches in New York specializing in Early Music.

My teaching style is pioneering and creative. I integrate traditional methods and a respect for structure with an open approach to the individual inquiry of the student. Establishing this studio is the best form through which to share my skills and attract the students who will benefit most from studying with me. Hungary has very few actor training programs and my studio will offer young actors an opportunity to train which they might not otherwise have. It also offers retreats and workshops for professional actors wanting support in their artistic development and a different experience with theatre than what they were trained in and currently work with.

PHILOSOPHY

Theatre originated, both in Greece and in Asia, as a healing community ritual. For actors to fulfill that purpose, which is a noble one, they must be trained with the proper nurturance and support and given the best tools with which to be both outstanding performers and whole as individuals. This is the core of what I want to implement with this project which has grown out of my many years of teaching experience and the many conversations I have had with actors regarding the nature of their training.

Yoga, like theatre, is a collective body/mind practice, which is why the two complement one another so well. The yoga side of my business will feature both specialized yoga classes for actors to enhance their training and regular yoga classes for the general public. For actors, it supports their health holistically throughout a career where their body and emotional range are their primary instruments. General classes also increase my potential revenue and will help support the business as it grows.

IMPLEMENTATION

My programs will be taught in English to make them accessible to students of all nationalities.

Here are the core services I plan to implement in 2018:

• A weekly performance laboratory and several preliminary workshops introducing the content and format of the proposed 3 year actor training program to potential students. This outreach will be accompanied by assessment to ascertain the viability of the proposed program with the target populations.
• Workshop outreach to universities and theatre companies throughout the EU, Eastern Europe, Turkey and Georgia to share my actor training methodology and build connections
• 10 day wellness and artistic development retreat for professional actors
• 4 week workshop exploring theatre as a spiritual practice, "Theatre Towards Enlightenment"
• Regular Yoga & Wellness classes for non-actors
• The first of a series of workshops, "Mastering the Art of Sacred Space", on the implementation of intentional sacred space as a tool for personal and professional development in the 21st century, (this will be my signature program series for a variety of audiences)

CONCLUSION & THANKS

I believe passionately in this project and I am completely committed to nurturing it and ensuring its success. My studio will serve both the local community in Budapest and the international community as I do outreach workshops throughout the EU and host guest practitioners who share my vision and orientation. I feel confident that within two years I will be in a position to approach potential patrons from among the A-list actors who support this kind of project.

But now, at this moment, I need your help and support to make this first step and raise the necessary funds that every business needs to get off to a healthy start.

I am so excited to begin teaching and I have so much to offer as an experienced teacher, but I cannot open my doors to students until my business has been registered.

Only with your generous donations can my vision for this project become a reality!

Thank you all so much for visiting this page, taking the time to consider my campaign and for any support you are able to give!