During her preliminary training in Word Art-Drama-Music at the!Kunsthumaniora in Antwerp, Hella Merkenhof got to know her love for language and music. She wrote songs, acted and played. During her further studies at the FHK Tilburg where she studied Docent Theater, she developed her own theatrical voice and focused on directing, dramaturgy and writing. She wrote and directed adaptations of Van den vos Reynharde and Antigone, among others, and took care of the dramaturgy of several dance performances. Most recently, in collaboration with Corina van Eijk, she wrote Op reis met de Vliegende Hollander, based on Der Fliegende Holländer by Richard Wagner for the educational docu-opera in collaboration with the Maritieme Academie in Harlingen and Keunstwurk. After her internship as a directing assistant during Carmen in 2021, Merkenhof is a regular at Opera Spanga. She was assistant director and production leader for After the Flood, Madam Scrooge, Onegin and Otello and was also production and performance leader during the student project Lulu at the FHK Tilburg.