About Me
Born in Munich, Germany, Ursula Gabriele Gschwendtner
came to New Zealand in 1996.
Based in Wellington, Ursula Gabriele facilitates PlayFoolSpirit
Clowning workshops in New Zealand for adults, secondary schools, mental health clients
and business/corporate clients. She performs as a PlayFoolSpirit Clown at art events,
festivals, at corporate functions and in health care.
For Ursula Gabriele, music has always been an important part of life. She studied classical piano for 11 years and started composing her own music in 2001. She uses her own compositions in her clowning workshops, clown performances and piano recitals.
Ursula Gabriele is a trained psychologist and teacher for drama-in-education, studying body language and mime in Germany, Austria and England over the past 20 years.
For many years, Ursula Gabriele had been a student of Didier Danthois, the French mime clown who founded the ‘Fool at Heart’ School for Sacred Clowning in London. Her training with Didier included street improvisations, workshops for school performance and a specific training for performing in health care (hospitals and retirement homes).