Interview: Playwright Nina Kissinger of THIS IS GOVERNMENT at Moxie Theatre
Kissinger reflects on how her time in politics inspired the play and what she hopes a new generation will take away from the story.
By: Lucía Serrano
BroadwayWorld recently caught up with playwright Nina Kissinger to discuss This is Government, now playing at MOXIE Theatre in San Diego through October 25, 2026. Inspired by Kissinger’s experience interning in Congress, the play follows three congressional interns trapped in an office during a bomb threat, forcing them to confront political polarization, the limits of change from within the system, and their own roles in shaping the country’s future. In our conversation, Kissinger reflects on how her time in politics inspired the play, why comedy can help audiences reengage with difficult political realities, and what she hopes a new generation will take away from the story.
Kissinger is a Brooklyn-based playwright whose work has been developed and produced by 59E59, New Light Theater Project, Pendragon Theatre, B Street Theatre, Soho Playhouse, and The Tank, among others. Her honors include the 2025 Stanley Drama Award and the 2026 Soho Playhouse Lighthouse Series, and her work has been named a semifinalist for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Ashland New Plays Festival, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference, and the New Dramatists Princess Grace Fellowship. She is a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop (Bookwriting), an alumna of 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, and a graduate of Northwestern University. Learn more at ninakissinger.com.
You originally considered a career in politics before turning to playwriting. How did that experience shape This is Government? Was the play partly inspired by your decision to pursue writing instead?
This is Government was absolutely shaped by my experiences interning in Congress, which I did as a way to figure out if I wanted to work in government after college. During my internship, my main responsibility was answering the phone calls of constituents, some of whom called the office many times a day. I was so struck by the connection I felt with these regular callers, most of whom did not share my own political viewpoint, often to an extreme extent, but all of whom I developed a sense of care for each one of them that remained with me long after I hung up the phone for the last time. Like the interns in the play, I was subject to lockdowns and bomb threats while working there, and I found the daily experience to be quite profound because many of those making these threats shared the beliefs of the people I talked to everyday, the same people I felt a confusing level of compassion and empathy for. By the time I left my internship, I felt quite clear on not wanting to work in government, but the experiences I had there taking calls and, at the same time, seeing Gen Z enter these institutions with a new perspective and voice really provided the basis for This is Government, which I wrote in an attempt to make sense of the political moment we were in at the time.
The play begins with a bomb threat that traps three congressional interns in an office. Why did you choose a lockdown as the situation that would force these characters to confront their place in the political system?
While I was interning in Congress (Summer 2021), a man in a pickup truck parked in front of the Library of Congress and said he had a bomb, so in many ways it was inspired by that actual event. I think also in my work I love the idea of trapping characters in a space where they can't take a break or turn away from what is happening in terms of the tensions, stakes, and conflict it creates. It felt right to me that they would feel as stuck in this office and event as so many of us feel inside a political system that so often fails those it promises to serve.
What questions did you want to explore about the limits of making change from within an institution, particularly from the perspective of young people working as interns?
The question I most wanted to explore in this play was how a young generation raised in a time of political polarization and violence they are not responsible for, but are critical to the repair of, steps up to take on the most pressing issues facing the U.S. today. As we start to see Gen Z entering these institutions and running for office, I think we're all watching constant negotiation between the benefits of new eyes and revolutionary ideals, and the realities of how these systems work and the importance of keeping them functioning. This play really operates as an exploration of that tension and how it impacts engagement and alienation of a young generation entering the political system.
Political dysfunction can feel overwhelming in real life. What can comedy communicate about these issues that a more straightforward drama might not?
I think that comedy acts, in so many ways, as a kind of universal access point for people. I find that humor generally in theatre – and hopefully in this play – can help allow us to look at these issues with new eyes and find the energy to re-engage with them. My goal in this play is not for it to feel like an extension of the exhaustion and overwhelm so many people (including myself) feel everyday, but rather a story that leaves the audience with a renewed sense of hope and humanity (and at minimum, having had a laugh).
This is Government has developed through readings, workshops and productions in different parts of the country. How has the play changed since you first wrote it?
Though the overall plot and characters have largely stayed the same since the first draft, the piece as a whole has undergone so much expansion and deepening as a result of the invaluable contributions of the many actors, directors, designers, dramaturgs, and other creative team members who have put their time and energy into it over the past few years. I think all of the characters, each in their own way, have really been strengthened and sharpened over the course of many workshops, and thematically the central question of the play has really become about what our government owes to its people and what we owe to one another.
What have you learned from seeing audiences respond to the play in different communities?
It's been such a gift that I've gotten to see this play with so many different audiences, and I think the biggest thing I've learned is how universal so much of our discontent is in our government system and the status quo. It has been performed in a number of communities with very different political makeups and I have consistently been amazed by how people of all beliefs connect with the play and see themselves in the characters. Every opportunity has reminded me how much we all have in common and the power and importance of extending empathy and understanding to those we disagree with.
What has it been like collaborating with MOXIE Theatre and director Desireé Clarke Miller to bring this production to San Diego?
Collaborating with MOXIE and Desireé has been wonderful. I wasn't too involved in the rehearsal process because I'm based in New York, but getting to come out and see the play was such an amazing experience, and I am in awe of the incredible work Desireé and the rest of the MOXIE team are doing to bring the work of women+ playwrights to San Diego and program plays that are attempting to speak to the most pressing issues facing our world today.
What do you hope audiences are still thinking about after they leave the theater?
I hope that audiences are thinking about how they can get involved with the causes they care about and hold their elected officials accountable, as well as the importance of preserving empathy, humanity, and proximity in a political system that so often discourages those values.
Does writing a play like This is Government make you more hopeful about people's ability to change political systems, or does it leave you with more questions?
I think that writing this play – and seeing it performed in the world we're living in today – leaves me with more questions than answers for sure. We are at such an uncertain and scary moment in this country (much more so than when I wrote the play in 2021-2022) and I think this play and much of my other work is trying to make sense of the many questions I have about what our collective future holds and whether we will be able to create the kind of monumental change so many of us want to see. That being said, I do believe people have the power to change political systems and I hope that anyone who wants to see change happen in this country gets out to vote on (or before) November 3rd.
Photo by Karli Cadel Photography.
This is Government plays until October 25, 2026 at MOXIE Theatre.
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