Flint water crisis inspires national touring thriller, with free tickets and transportation for residents
More than a decade after the Flint water crisis began, a new stage production is bringing the fight for clean water and accountability back into the spotlight.
October 28, 2026 / By Trae Harris / Watch on wnem.com
FLINT, Mich. (WNEM) - The Flint water crisis made headlines around the world. Now, more than a decade later, the story is inspiring a different kind of drama. One playing out onstage.
“The Poisoner,” a fictional neo-noir thriller inspired by the 2014 water crisis, is making the final stop of its seven-city national tour Friday, Oct. 30, at Detroit’s Marygrove Theatre.
And for Flint residents who lived through the crisis, organizers are offering free tickets and transportation to see the production firsthand.
A real-life crisis with a fictional twist
Presented by Citizen56 and Uncommon Productions, “The Poisoner” follows a determined journalist who returns to his hometown and uncovers a devastating water contamination cover-up.
But as he digs deeper, he finds powerful forces determined to keep the truth buried.
Melissa Mays, operations manager for Flint Rising and a longtime water activist, said the production offers a different way to tell a story residents know all too well.
“Instead of having to relive over, over and over again, like, you know, a documentary style or even like a true-crime type of story, we get to actually watch it through other people’s eyes,” Mays said.
Keeping the conversation alive
For Mays, the fight for clean water and accountability is far from over.
She said concerns about aging infrastructure and water safety extend well beyond Flint, making the production’s message relevant to communities across the country.
But she also hopes audiences recognize the work Flint residents put into exposing the crisis.
“We fought back and won. Against all odds,” Mays said. “We investigated, we did the groundwork, residents were the ones that broke all this open.”
The production also draws attention to water justice challenges in communities such as Jackson, Mississippi; Newark, New Jersey; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Free tickets and transportation for Flint residents
Organizers have partnered with Flint Rising to provide two buses for Flint residents interested in attending Friday’s performance.
The show begins at 7 p.m., with both buses scheduled to depart Flint at 5:30 p.m.
One bus will leave Detroit at 9 p.m. following the performance. A second will depart at 11 p.m. for attendees who want to stay for the reception.
The performance will also feature a community discussion with Mays, Flint Rising’s Nayyirah Shariff and Sylvia Orduño of the People’s Water Board Coalition.
Seats are limited, and reservations are required.
A message beyond the stage
For Mays, the production is about more than entertainment. It’s another opportunity to remind audiences that the fight for safe drinking water isn’t limited to one city.
“It’s a way to say thanks for all your hard work. But the rest of the world also needs to wake up,” Mays said. “Because if we continue on this same path, every single city out there is going to be poisoned like Flint.”
As the curtain prepares to close on the production’s national tour, advocates hope the conversation about water justice continues long after the final performance.
