Leading from the Clown - Clown Wisdom for Leadership & Collaboration

Name: Leading from the Clown - Clown Wisdom for Leadership & Collaboration
Start: 2026-02-13T13:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-02-13T16:00:00+00:00
Location: The Spark Space, 138a Church Road, Redfield Bristol BS5 9HH

Schedule

Fri Feb 13 2026 at 01:00 pm to 04:00 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

The Spark Space, 138a Church Road, Redfield Bristol BS5 9HH | Bristol, EN

THE INVITATION:
Join Ralf Wetzel for an exploration into how clown wisdom can instruct modern leadership & collaboration at work.
"This work is taking the clown seriously as an important instructor of modern leadership and collaboration."
The red-nose clown has long been a source of hope, healing, and human connection. In theatres and hospitals, in refugee camps and even political protests, the clown’s power comes from embodying imperfection, innocence, emotional truth, and a fearless openness to connection. This workshop brings that same spirit into a different setting: the world of organisations; corporations, teams, and meetings - where many of us spend most of our lives.
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AT A GLANCE:
Leading from the Clown
Friday 13 February 2026
1 - 4pm
Venue:
The Spark Space
138a Church Road, Redfield
Bristol BS5 9HH
Investment:
1/2-day workshop (3 hours)
Sliding Scale: £50 - £75
Payment will be requested via paypal or BACs
Prerequisites:
None. An open mind and curiosity welcome.
Booking:
Email [email protected] to book a place
If you’re not sure if your level of experience would support you to join this workshop, please email us and we will be happy to help identify if the workshop is right for you.
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WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
The classic notion of leadership, as a lonely person on the top of a hierarchy, knowing it all and being able to instruct everyone, comes under more and more pressure in times of rapid disruption and multiple crises. Modern leadership requires the ability to share responsibility by connecting people (authentic connection), look at challenges with fresh eyes (naivety), find new opportunities in doing things differently (staying in the mistake) and speak from the heart (emotional truth). If we step away from the superficial idea that a clown has to be funny, we quickly find a lot of room for clown competence in modern leadership development. And this clown competence is what we will explore in this short clown research session.
WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?
At the heart of the workshop are two realms of research. Firstly, we will find and explore the idea of ‘clown state’, the mental and emotional state from which a clown operates. Presence, receptiveness, openness, curiosity, innocence, vulnerability and naivety. Once we’ve found this state, we will secondly walk into typical corporate situations, deliberately staying and remaining in this state as long as possible. This will by definition alter the way those typical situations unfold, with the most unexpected twists and turns.
To produce and to play with this unexpectedness, to research it in the best clown way, is what this workshop is all about. Accordingly, this workshop is not about being funny, or to laugh more in corporate environments, and it is far away from the abysses of team-buildings. This work is taking the clown seriously as an important instructor of modern leadership and collaboration. As this is work-in-progress, participants are invited to explore this realm together with the facilitator. There are no fixed answers, this is deeply explorative and very open work by nature. But what else is the clown doing anyway?
WHO'S IT FOR?
This workshop is for leaders, collaborators, entrepreneurs, facilitators, and anyone curious about bringing a more human, authentic, and resilient presence into their professional life. It is suitable for all levels of experience with clowning or performance. All exercises will be explorative and tailored to the group.
YOUR FACILITATOR
Ralf Wetzel is currently Professor of Organization and Applied Arts at Vlerick Business School in Belgium. He’s a renowned business educator, with more than 14 years of experience in developing leaders and entrepreneurs impactful in complex environments. He has been developing a teaching approach massively influenced by performing art forms like improvisation theatre, red-nose-clown and theatre mask work. Also, he’s an independent theatre performer, improvisation theatre actor, red-nose-clown, mask actor and theatre producer. His clown journey began with John Turner (CA) and gained depth by his long-lasting work with Lee Delong (F). Further important teachers have been Peta Lily (UK), Patch Adams (US) and Avner Eisenberg (US).