Things to Do: Inspired by Flint
Updated: 2 days ago
September 17, 2026 // by Kathy Lauer-Williams, WFMZ News, read on wfmz.com
Touchstone Theatre in Bethlehem will open its season with "The Poisoner,” a touring production inspired by the Flint, Michigan, water crisis.
“The Poisoner” is a neo-noir thriller about the deception, abuse of power, and negligence of Midwestern water politics in the 2000s. The original production, written by first-time playwright M.M. Haney, was developed by two-time Obie Award-winning director Lee Sunday Evans, who also directs.
The play premiered in 2024 at New York’s La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. The Bethlehem stop is the first in a limited run tour that will conclude in Detroit.
The Flint water crisis was a public health emergency that began in April 2014, when the city switched its drinking water source to the Flint River to save money, leading to severe lead and bacterial contamination. The play is set in the fictional Mack City, Michigan.
In “The Poisoner,” hardened Chicago Tribune journalist Ron Finder (Aaron Morton) reluctantly agrees to return to his hometown, Mack City, to cover an announcement on new economic policy that’s about to be unveiled by the state’s businessman governor. As Finder gathers materials, he not only reveals unsettling problems in the city’s water supply but painful strains in his relationship with his father.
The story explores how seemingly mundane economic ideas can drastically alter the course of people's lives and our cities.
The cast features Aaron Morton, Haskell King, Brett Diggs, and Maude Mitchell.
“Across America, communities continue to confront contaminated drinking water, aging infrastructure, and increasingly contentious battles over who controls scarce water resources,” Haney said. “At the same time, towns are grappling with the enormous water demands of new industrial development, including AI data centers and advanced manufacturing facilities, raising the same enduring questions. Who bears the costs? Who receives the benefits? And ultimately, who gets to decide?”
“The Poisoner” explores governance, power, and the quiet machinery of institutional failure. It aims to increase awareness about the challenges faced in Flint, Jackson, Newark, and other communities grappling with similar crises.
Evans said the play is designed to be a launching point for the creators to connect with organizers, advocates, and residents fighting for clean air, safe water, and community control of local natural resources. Through post-performance discussions, they hope to bring together residents with differing perspectives to examine these issues.
“If theater can create a space where people listen as carefully as they argue, then perhaps it can help strengthen the civic trust on which democracy ultimately depends,” Evans said. “The goal of ‘The Poisoner’ is to ask not just how a crisis happened, but who benefits when nothing is done to prevent the next one.”
The play, which runs 90 minutes without an intermission, will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
There will be a talkback after Thursday’s performance with Touchstone ensemble members and “The Poisoner’s” creative team about the social impact of theater.
After Friday’s performance, there will be a talkback with Greg Sussman, president of the Whitehall Civic Alliance, about political activism.
Tickets cost $35 for adults and $25 for seniors and students. Thursday’s performance will be pay-what-you-will.
Touchstone is located at 321 E. Fourth St.
