The Poisoner Tour Reaches Kalamazoo And Detroit
The Poisoner brings its national tour to Kalamazoo and Detroit with performances and water justice talkbacks in October.
Citizen56 and Uncommon Productions will bring The Poisoner to Kalamazoo and Detroit in October for the final two stops of its seven-city national tour. The neo-noir thriller, inspired by the Flint water crisis, pairs performances with discussions involving journalists and Michigan water organisers. Kalamazoo performances run from October 22 to 24, while Detroit hosts the production from October 29 to 31. The play follows a journalist investigating water contamination and a cover-up in his hometown.
Michigan Community Discussions
Selected Kalamazoo performances will include talkbacks on independent journalism and PFAS in drinking water. Matt Schuster of Public Media Network and freelance journalist Kristen Aguirre will appear on October 22, followed by Sandy Wynn of the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network on October 23.
Detroit talkbacks on October 29 and 30 will feature Melissa Mays and Nayyirah Shariff from Flint Rising, alongside Sylvia Orduño with the Detroit People’s Water Board Coalition.
Kalamazoo And Detroit Dates
Performances take place at the Judy K. Jolliffe Theatre in Kalamazoo at 7:30 PM from October 22 to 24. Tickets for Kalamazoo are available online.
Detroit performances will be staged at Marygrove Theater at 7:30 PM on October 29 and 31, and at 7:00 PM on October 30. Tickets for Detroit are available online.
Questions Of Water And Power
Written by Michigan native M.M. Haney and directed by two-time Obie Award-winning director Lee Sunday Evans, the production examines accountability when systems meant to protect communities fail. Its national tour began on September 17 and concludes on October 31.
Lee Sunday Evans, Director of The Poisoner, said:
“There are parallels across the Midwest with communities wrestling with their own questions about data centers, water, accountability, and who has the power to be part of democratic decision-making processes. This is proof the questions in The Poisoner aren’t Flint’s questions alone, but ours collectively.”
A Fictional Story With Local Focus
The production premiered at New York’s La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in 2024, on the 10-year anniversary of the Flint water crisis. Its tour also visits Bethlehem, Pittsburgh, Kenosha, Madison and De Pere, connecting the work with local organisers, advocates and residents.
