Teaching

I teach in Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Sydney and the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), working with undergraduate and postgraduate students across subjects including performance analysis, socially engaged art, cultural policy, creative labour, First Nations performance, and contemporary theatre history. I’ve taught in seminar rooms, studios, and online, adapting my approach to suit each space.

My teaching is grounded in five key values — community, knowledge, reflexivity, creativity, and fun — which shape both the content and atmosphere of my classrooms.

community

Cohort-building is central to my teaching. I take an active, participatory role, aiming to dissolve hierarchies and foster familiarity among students. I want them to feel known — not just by me, but by each other.

Knowledge

I teach from an interdisciplinary
foundation that values theory, embodied practice, and cultural knowledge equally. Students are encouraged to engage with oral histories, lived experience, and performance as legitimate forms of knowledge.

Reflexivity

My classrooms invite students to
be critical, curious, and reflexive about the systems that shape their world. I encourage them to consider how policy, politics, funding structures, and ideology influence the work they make and the conditions in which they make it.

Creativity

Performance practice is central to how I teach. I use devising, physical exercises, and group activities to explore theoretical ideas through practice, supporting diverse learning styles and helping students connect thinking and doing.

Fun

My classroom is intellectually rigorous and joyful. Ever the art-lover, music plays a unique and important role in my teaching, which I play to spark conversation and build ease in the room. By the end of each course, everyone has contributed to the playlist.

My full teaching portfolio is available upon request.

Woman presenting a PowerPoint slide titled 'COVID AND THE ARTS (2020)' in a conference room with a large screen and curtains in the background.

Student feedback

  • "Izabella was an incredibly supportive tutor, who made a great effort to ensure everyone in the class felt known and included. Her tutorials were always engaging and interesting, with a good mix of theoretical and practical elements. She strengthened my engagement with the course immensely."

  • "[Bella] went out of her way to teach us about essay writing which was amazing. So helpful. She also put in so much effort into her Acknowledgments of Country which was very inspiring and always made me reflect each week."

  • "Bella made each tutorial engaging, welcoming and fun whilst challenging us to thinking critically and helped us to deepen our ideas. Every week, she made an effort to encourage input from every student over Zoom."

  • "Bella tailored her teaching to the majority of us that had just graduated high school, relating to our experiences as a class and staying up to date with popular culture as a means of relating to everyone with a common ground."

  • "Bella was always EXTREMELY helpful when providing feedback. I always knew what I had to do to do well and how I could improve, and this reflected in my marks."

  • "I found Izabella's engagement with university skills very helpful. It was really valuable as a first year student to have a tutor map out the expectations for essay writing in a way that was direct and specific."

  • "Bella brought terrific energy to every tutorial and made me feel safe and comfortable in class. Every tutorial was entertaining and interesting as I could tell Bella was incredibly interested herself."

  • "Bella made an effort to get to know each student individually, and demonstrated an understanding of their needs through always offering further explanations and engaging in the breakout rooms."

  • "During class discussions, I felt comfortable contributing my ideas and thoughts on the subject. Bella made me feel seen, heard and took on my contributions really well."

  • "Bella made it so important to promote a good learning environment and helped to create an amazing class morale. I found it very easy to talk to anyone in this class about the subject material."

  • "I have never felt more excited to learn in a university class before. Bella created such a safe space and an enjoyable environment to learn about our material."

  • "Bella was a wonderful tutor, my favourite that I've had so far. I looked forward to every tutorial and feel as though I've learnt and felt the most supported in her tutorial. She is very well-versed in the course content and has wonderful teaching skills."

  • "Bella provided me with a safe learning environment where I could explore my understanding of the course and communicate my thoughts with others."

  • "Bella is amazing. She was always so helpful with the content of the course and always helped me to understand the material, but what was the best was the way in which she created a space of equality amongst students and a space in which we were able to explore the material in an energetic, excited and inspired way. I'm a fan of Bella."

  • "[Bella] supported my learning extensively. She has made me want to continue down the path of theatre and performance studies and is one of the best teachers I have had at this university."

  • "[Izabella’s] honesty and care for the importance of discussing issues within Australian culture really deepened my understanding and helped me feel more prepared for when I eventually move to Sydney! Thank you for making my first semester at USyd so engaging and fun even from hundreds of miles away!"