Meet The Clowns

Schpachtel

Over the years Amichai 'Shpachtel' Ezer has written and directed plays for children and adults.

More recently he have begun the teaching chapter of my life and he is now teaching theatre and acting, specialising in a number of areas such as Commedia dell’arte, Masks and Playback. He takes groups at the ‘Mareh Theater’, leads professional activities in schools and work with vulnerable young people through physical drama and theater projects.

"I have been working for 10 years with the ‘Dream Doctors’ – initially in different hospitals – and for the last five years I’ve been a clown at Hadassah Ein Kerem."

Professional activity at the hospital:

• Day Procedure Clinics
• Paediatric surgery
• Oncology and Hematology Day Procedure Clinics
• Bone marrow (adults and children)
• Intensive Care (ICU) and Paediatric Emergency
• Psychiatry Pilot Project

Nechatza

Nechama 'Nechatza' Perel is a medical clown and theater actor. She has been working with ‘Dream Doctors’ for five years and came to Hadassah two and a half years ago where she now mostly works.

More recently he have begun the teaching chapter of my life and he is now teaching theatre and acting, specialising in a number of areas such as Commedia dell’arte, Masks and Playback. He takes groups at the ‘Mareh Theater’, leads professional activities in schools and work with vulnerable young people through physical drama and theater projects.

"I have been working for 10 years with the ‘Dream Doctors’ – initially in different hospitals – and for the last five years I’ve been a clown at Hadassah Ein Kerem."

Professional activity at the hospital:

• Paediatric Surgery – accompanying children to surgery and recovery room
• Paediatric Chronic Disease Unit – CF
• Day Procedure Unit – accompanying children to surgery and recovery room
• Children’s Wards and Paediatric Emergency
• Gastro and Diabetes Clinic

Sponger

Shiri 'Sponger' Breuer began her journey in the circus with fire performances in Europe and through these performances and interesting interactions and meetings she fell in love with clowning. "When I came back to Israel I studied at the 'Body Theater' school for physical theater using methods developed by Jacques Lakuk, after which I completed my Bachelor degree at Bezalel in Ceramic Design.

In 2006 my partner and I founded “Tsemed Kirkas-um” and since then we have created original performances throughout Israel. We aim to present explore the connection between circus and clowning in new and original ways, re-inventing and re-creating to the particular context. I am honoured to be part of the ‘Dream Doctors’ project and I’ve been working as a medical clown at Hadassah since 2009. In the hospital I create a space where clowning and the ever-changing river of life flow together.

Professional activity at the hospital:

• Paediatric Unit
• Paediatric Surgery
• Oncology and Hematology – Day Procedure Unit
• Oncological Opthalmology
• Paediatric Emergency
• Paediatric Intensive Care (ICU)
• Genetic Day Procedure Unit
• Psychiatry Pilot Project

Dush

Active artist for the past 25 years: street theatre, clowning, stage arts, improvisation and professional medical clowning. Graduate of the “Maharaba” Group/School, graduate of Haifa University’s Theatre and Therapy – Medical Clowning Stream. Involved since 2002, I was one of the founders of medical clowning in Israel and from the time the ‘Dream Doctors’ project was established, I have been working on a permanent basis at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem. 

Apart from being an active clown, I am the professional coordinator of the Medical Clowns ‘Dream Doctors’ and responsible for expanding the project into additional hospitals in Israel. I am also a clown teacher and mentor in Israel and around the world.

Dush has been active in humanitarian clowning in disaster areas around the world such as: 

• Northern bomb shelters during the second Lebanon War
• Bomb Shelters and populated areas in the south – various IDF military activity in southern Israel since 2004
• January 2005 – Thailand – Tsunami disaster areas
• January 2009 – North India – TCV orphanages
• January 2010 – Haiti earthquake (as a Clown in the IDF mission)
• Ethiopia – art-joy-love, orphanages for HIV positive carrier children, other hospitals and towns
• Professional mentoring and programs through the Foreign Ministry in Nepal, Vietnam, Singapore, Bulgaria, Ethiopia and more
• Artistic mentoring and workshops: Australia, England, The United States

Professional activity at the hospital:

• Outpatients and Day Procedures Clinics
• Paediatric Unit
• Oncology and Hematology day clinics
• Paediatric Emergency and Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
• Adult Emergency and Intensive Care Unit (ICU)