About Us - 海灵纳戏剧与表达学苑

About Us

HADE Junior Theatre

A comprehensive experiential drama education platform centered on stage arts and theatre education, integrating drama appreciation, creation, performance, exchange, and training.

Helena Academy of Drama and Expression (formerly known as Shenzhen Dramatic English), founded in 2015, is a holistic and immersive drama/musical theatre education platform focused on stage arts and theatre education. It is now an official Trinity College London (TRINITY) examination center and curriculum licensee, a global authorized provider of the Dramatic English curriculum system, and a certified institution for the British NEW ERA certificate program. Collaborating with renowned primary, secondary, and kindergarten schools across Shenzhen, the academy serves as an expert advisor in drama education for the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau and multiple district bureaus. It is designated to develop the English Drama Micro-Major at Shenzhen University and contributes to the national curriculum development for compulsory education drama courses. Partnering with 5A-level public welfare organizations like the Shenzhen Caring Action Foundation, the academy has established art education spaces and pioneered an "Art + Education + Philanthropy" model, dedicated to exploring and practicing social impact through theatrical arts.

The company has an education team composed of highly educated and experienced talents.Leader Helena graduated from Trinity University of Ireland in Theater Education. The company is committed to empowering children's character building and improving their comprehensive abilities such as confident expression and independent thinking.

Helena 李珏

Specialist Tutor in Drama Education and English Education.Founder of HELENA ACADEMY OF DRAMA AND EXPRESSION. English Drama Micro-professional Tutor of Shenzhen University. “Seed Teacher of the International Conference on Educational Theater” Dedicated to the popularization of drama education and the promotion and development of whole-person growth of children through drama. HELENA has successively studied with Prof. Carmel O'Sullivan,、Chris Cooper and Prof. Li Yingning, “the first person of educational theater in China”.
Kyle Redmond-Jones

A professional theater director from London's West End, graduated from LAMDA (Musical Theatre), London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He has more than 20 years of experience in the theater industry and has been involved in theater and arts education for more than 13 years. He has directed more than 50 stage productions, nearly 10 film and television productions, and has accumulated more than 15,000 hours of experience in stage productions. Producer, director and actor in London's West End. Starring in Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), National Theatre of Great Britain (NT). Nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Musical, the highest award in British theater. Guest Lecturer in Theatre Arts at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Graduated from London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (L.A.M.D.A.), majoring in Musical Theatre.
Clara 陈赞宇

Musical choreographer. Teacher. Member of Shenzhen Musical Theatre Association. Graduated from Shenzhen University. Won 3 scholarships during the school period. In high school, she studied at the Guangdong Professional Dance School, where she was ranked first for 6 consecutive years. She has studied for more than 10 years, familiar with music theory, piano, solid dance skills and rich stage experience, teaching experience.
Airin Marandu

Has 4 years experience in teaching English and over 8 years experience in theater performance. Graduated from the University of Cape Town with a Master's Degree in Sociology with Honors (A+) Graduated from Shenzhen University with a Master's degree in English Linguistics (TESOC) with honors (A+). Majoring in knowledge and epistemology and its impact on learner development.

Exceptional Faculty

HADE Junior Theatre, a subsidiary of Helena Academy of Drama and Expression, specializes in cultivating young musical theatre/drama talents and producing original junior-oriented musical works. Over the years, its productions have won over 100 awards. In 2025, HADE claimed the top honor All-Festival Performance Award at the Junior Theatre Festival in the U.S. HADE’s 2019 original musical XCHANGE received the "International Cultural Exchange Grand Prize" (sole drama winner) at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from the Euro-Asia Cultural Exchange Association. In 2023, its original adaptation of the Chinese classic JOURNEY TO THE WEST earned acclaim from Chinese Embassy cultural officials, Edinburgh’s former Lord Mayor, and professors from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The production has been included as a model case in Guangdong Educational Publishing House’s national drama textbook for junior high schools.

Since its inception, HADE has successfully staged numerous full-length English youth musicals, including Broadway-licensed productions such as Seussical, The Wizard of Oz, Oliver Twist, Magic Tree House, Peter Pan, and Madagascar; West End-licensed works like Children of Eden; original adaptations of global classics such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and A Little Princess; and Chinese cultural originals including XCHANGE and JOURNEY TO THE WEST.

Types of cooperation projects

1. Educational theater classes

This course can be integrated with subjects, and is offered in regular school classes as well as in the school's schoolbook. It allows students to learn various subjects in a theatrical way, and enhances the learning effect and experience of the subjects. The specific time and period of the course can be decided according to the school's specific situation.

2. musical theatre program

This project-based learning program utilizes authentic, fully authorized English-language musicals from Broadway, London's West End, and top-tier professional musical theatre worldwide as its core medium. Centered on holistic education principles and driven by musical theatre performance, it integrates acting, singing, dance, and language arts to deeply explore classic themes.

3. Teacher training courses

This course is designed to meet the needs of school teachers who want to learn the Drama in Education method, and will be conducted in the form of a workshop. In the end, teachers will be able to master the tools and methods of Educational Drama, so that they can apply the Educational Drama method to their daily teaching.