The Poisoner: Flint, Water, Power and a National Tour Beginning in Bethlehem
Updated: Aug 26
August 21, 2026 / Lehigh Valley With Love
The Flint water crisis did not begin at the faucet. It grew out of economic decline, aging infrastructure and a system that removed local control from the people most affected by decisions about their water.
George Wacker talks with playwright Maura Haney and two-time Obie Award-winning director Lee Sunday Evans about The Poisoner, a neo-noir thriller inspired by Flint. Maura explains why the play takes place in the fictional Mack City, while Lee discusses theater’s ability to connect individual lives with larger structures of power.
They also discuss emergency management, the journalist at the center of the story, the production’s four-person cast, and the decision to tour seven industrial cities ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The conversation reaches the Lehigh Valley through growing questions about data centers, water use and who gets a voice when communities make decisions about essential resources.
The Poisoner begins its national tour at Touchstone Theatre in Bethlehem, September 17 through 19, 2026, at 8 p.m. The production runs 90 minutes without an intermission.
Tickets and Bethlehem performance information:https://touchstone.org/events/the-poisoner/
Production and national tour information:https://www.uncommonproductions.com/the-poisoner
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