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Ms. Sharda Singh » ELA & Theatre Arts

ELA & Theatre Arts

Hello!
My name is Ms. Singh, and I've been teaching at RHHS since 2006. Here are the course sections I've taught: 
 
  • ELA 9th
  • ELA 10th 
  • ELA 10th Honors
  • ELA 10th AP
  • ELA 11th
  • ELA 12th
  • Theatre Arts
  • Directing
  • Regents Prep
  • Film as Lit.
  • Asian Lit.
  • Overcoming Obstacles
 
For the school 2022-2023 school year, I'm teaching ELA 10th grade.
 
Some of my favorite things are exploring magical and supernatural worlds, which I often write about in my short stories, poems, plays, and other pieces.
 
I'm also passionate about politics, and my writing often contains social commentary such as about cultural and women's experiences.
 
Specifically to theatre, I've written over forty plays and skits for the stage and won the Carifesta Playwriting Prize in 2009 for my piece called U.  My play Till I Dance With My People was performed at Guyana National Arts Centre for the presidential cabinet and it became and important milestone in Indo-Caribbean and Guyanese theatre. Aside from writing, I also direct and produce plays and was a key contributor to the decades-long work of The Rajkumari Cultural Center here in New York.
 
I love attending other theatre works, too! A few of my favorites are/were Beetlejuice, School of Rock, and Phantom of the Opera. My favorite films are Bram Stoker's Dracula, Moonrise Kingdom, The Truman Show, Watchmen, Rocky, Mother India, and Coming to America, to mention a few.
 
My musical tastes range from reggae to jazz, and I play guitar, drums, and sing. As a kid, I studied kathak dance and I passed on a love of movement, music, and drama to my identical twin daughters. I'm from a family of musical and theatre artists, writers, and politicians including the first published Indo-Caribbean woman writer and recipient of the Golden Arrowhead of Achievement Guyana, Rajkumari Singh, and dancer Gora Singh, both of whom deeply shaped me into who I am today.
 
My favorite authors of all time as Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley. My Master's thesis was based in part on Mary Shelley and a few other gothic women writers. I also enjoy books on quantum physics such as those by Michio Kaku, biographies of impactful people, or the works of William Shakespeare. The books that inspired me the most are my grandmother's book Days of the Sahib by Rajkumari Singh, and The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. My favorite comic book series are Spider-man, The Justice League, Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Batman, and Archie horror/crossover comics. My favorite graphic novel series is The Twilight Zone, as I was also a huge fan of the television series.
 
Life as a teen can be just as challenging as life as an adult. I made a lot of poor decisions in my junior year of high school, and paid for it my senior year, making up credits will a full 1 to 9 period schedule, with no lunch. I also did not get to attend my prom, and for the first and last time in my life, I acknowledged that I was experiencing depression. I didn't know who I was, didn't fully realize my talents yet, and hadn't figured out who my real friends were. The guidance of my family members and a few good teachers and guidance counselors saved me!
 
I wish I knew this back then: success and happiness are largely dependent on how you manage your time, and you have to keep revisiting and clarifying your goals and your vision. Keep good company, be a good person, be yourself, and cherish yourself, your time, and your loved ones!