No Fight Scenes or Dance Numbers! Rasheeda Speaking’s Cynthia Nixon on Making Her Directing Debut

Cynthia Nixon has never directed anything…until now. Best known for Sex and the City, Nixon's been working as an actor nonstop since she was a teenager. Now the Tony winner is finally taking on the role of director with the New York premiere of the New Group's Rasheeda Speaking, starring Tonya Pinkins and Dianne Wiest.

“The themes of it are very big, but it’s very contained,” Nixon tells Broadway.com about Joel Drake Johnson’s play, which explores racial tension and office politics. She adds that she’s “eternally grateful” to New Group Artistic Director Scott Elliott, who saw her potential as a director and brought her the piece. “Whether I go on to direct a million plays or this is the only one I ever direct, this opportunity has been so wonderful."

Even though she’s psyched about her directorial debut, Nixon admits she likes keeping it simple: “It’s four characters; it’s one set. It’s an office that’s very realistic. People are seated at desks for a lot of the play. It’s sort of psychological warfare rather than big crowd scenes and fight scenes and dance numbers and that sort of thing."

Rasheeda Speaking, which also features Darren Goldstein and Patricia Connolly, plays The Pershing Square Signature Center through March 22. Opening night is set for February 11.