Running SEPTEMBER 5 - SEPTEMBER 28, 2025
@ 59E59 Theaters, Theater B
a co-production with Pendragon Theatre
Winner of the 2025 New Light New Voices Award
"Sarah Norris directs the play with the lightness necessary to make the comic beats land. Daniel Allen’s scenic design convincingly evokes the Cannon House Office Building...authentic lighting by Hayley Garcia Parnell...sound designer Jennie Gorn undergirds the transitions with pulsating gameshow music, so the tension never slackens."
- Zachary Stewart, TheaterMania
"It's a tremendous achievement...the tension is there...
New Light Theater Project has been around for a dozen years, and I hope they're around a long time more."
- Peter Filichia, Broadway Radio
"Eerily current...We rarely get new plays so closely attuned
to the current news cycle."
- David Barbour, Lighting & Sound America
"This is Government brilliantly reminds us that we’re all human."
- Mason Pilevsky, Pages on Stages
"Both relevant and poignant, this dark comedy gives audiences a chance to reflect, laugh, sigh, and gasp."
- Jocelyn Mosman, Travel Style Magic
"I have finally figured out why I love the New Light Theater Project so much. They pick the best plays no matter the genre. You know when you go to a New Light production you are going to get a quality play with a strong plot and expertly cast and directed."
"What ensues is not quite a thriller, not quite a farce, but rather a discomfiting hybrid: The Office meets Fail Safe, with shades of Network and a sprinkle of Parks and Rec. It is, against all odds, gripping."
"I cannot recommend it enough...it's a brilliant piece."
- Andrew Cortes, Stage Whisper
"This is Government, while plenty funny, is also a caustic commentary on the growing divide between the leaders and the people of what used to be our democracy, and the cynical wedge being driven between neighbors who, if politics are factored out of the equation, are more similar than we might think."
- Tim Rowland, Adirondack Arts and Entertainment
"This is Government does garner laughter, yes, and quite a lot of it."
- Stephen Suskin, New York Stage Review
"funny and fast-paced...there are fine performances."
- Mari S. Gold, T and B on the Aisle
"The show is incredibly timely and darkly funny,
but also extremely heartbreaking."
"the play has charm, and by the end, surprising depth."
- Adam Z. Horvath, 100 Word Review
Join us for these This is Government Special Events.
National Voter Registration Day
Tuesday, September 16, before and after the 7:15 PM performance
Let us help you or your unregistered friend register to vote!
Get #VoteReady
NLTP Encore Benefit
Sunday, September 21 at 5:00 PM
Celebrating 12 years of New Light Theater Project and honoring Board Member Claudia Schneider.
Post-Performance Talkback
Friday, September 26, following the 7:15 PM performance
Randy Frazer, Executive Director, YVote
Jessica Siles, Senior Director of Communications, Voters of Tomorrow
Moderated by Brigid Bergin, Senior Reporter, People & Power, WNYC/Gothamist
As New York City approaches a pivotal mayoral election and the U.S. looks toward its next midterm cycle, empowering the next generation to get involved in civic life has never been more important. These leaders are at the forefront of national and local efforts to engage new voters, strengthen civic education and empower communities to make their voices heard. Join us after the performance to hear how their work intersects with the questions raised in the play: How do we navigate political disarray? What role do young people play in shaping the future? And how can art and storytelling spark civic participation?
Emi – Kleo Mitrokostas † (she/her)
Tip – Charles Hsu (he/him)
Kaz – Vann Dukes (they/them)
Stevie – Susan Lynskey * (she/her)
† indicates NLTP Collective member
* Actors + Stage Managers members of Actors' Equity Association
Director member of Stage Directors & Choreographers Society
Written by Nina Kissinger (she/her)
Directed by Sarah Norris † (she/her)
Movement by Yasmyn Sumiyoshi (she/her)
Casting by Gama Valle † (él/him)
Scenic Design by Daniel Allen † (he/him)
Costume Design by Krista Grevas † (she/her)
Lighting Design by Hayley Garcia Parnell † (she/they)
Sound Design by Jennie Gorn † (they/she/he)
Production Stage Manager Molly Delaney (they/them)
Assistant Stage Manager Jazmin Miller (she/her)
Technical Director Cat Copeland † (they/she)
Associate Producer Kelly McCarty † (she/they)
The THIS IS GOVERNMENT team, 2025.
It's summer in Washington, DC and three congressional interns are fielding constituent calls before yet another workplace lockdown begins. While everyone outside investigates a suspicious red Camry, they find themselves stuck in the one place no one has ever wanted to work overtime: the US government.
As their patience and snack supply runs out, they follow clues and evidence to get to the bottom of how this situation unfolded and why. A comedy with heart, This is Government grapples with the real-time consequences of political disarray.
Marketing Photos by Matthew Cubillos
Production Phots by Burdette Parks