THE POISONER BRINGS ITS NATIONAL TOUR TO PENNSYLVANIA, WITH STOPS IN BETHLEHEM AND PITTSBURGH AND POST-SHOW TALKBACKS WITH LOCAL ACTIVISTS

Neo-noir thriller directed by two-time Obie Award winner Lee Sunday Evans launches at Touchstone Theatre in Bethlehem, September 17–19, then plays Alumni Theater in Pittsburgh, September 24–26; post-show talkbacks to feature local water-safety advocates, community leaders, and journalists

NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Poisoner, a neo-noir theatrical thriller inspired by the Flint water crisis, launches its 7-city national tour in Pennsylvania this month with engagements in Bethlehem and Pittsburgh. Written by first-time playwright M.M. Haney and directed by two-time Obie Award-winning director Lee Sunday Evans, the production is presented by Uncommon Productions and Citizen56.

The Poisoner follows a determined journalist who returns to his hometown to uncover a devastating cover-up of water contamination and the powerful forces determined to keep the truth buried. A neo-noir thriller about deception, institutional failure, and the fight for accountability, the play asks the question at the heart of every community's struggle for justice: are we ever safe?

The Pennsylvania engagements open a tour intentionally routed through seven industrial cities during the seven weeks leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, pairing performances with local community engagement and post-show talkbacks that connect the themes of the play to the environmental and civic battles unfolding in each city right now.

"I think that there's this really powerful role that theater can play that is kind of a public square, where we can have these conversations about our shared civic life. And in the theater, it's in a slightly different way than you'd have at a public hearing or a city council meeting." — Lee Sunday Evans, Director

BETHLEHEM ENGAGEMENT

The Poisoner launches its national tour at Touchstone Theatre, September 17–19, 2026, for a limited three-night engagement. The Bethlehem engagement will include two post-show talkbacks connecting the production's themes to the local community:

Thursday, September 17 — Touchstone Theatre's JP Jordan and Lisa Jordan join for a conversation on how theatre can be an important vehicle for social change.

Friday, September 18 — Greg Sussman of Oppose Atlas DC joins the cast and creative team for a talkback drawing direct parallels between the Flint water crisis and the fight to stop the proposed Atlas data center in South Whitehall.

Performance Details

Dates: September 17–19, 2026, at 8:00 PM
Venue: Touchstone Theatre | 321 East 4^th Street, Bethlehem, PA
Tickets: touchstone.org/events/the-poisoner.

PITTSBURGH ENGAGEMENT

The Poisoner comes to Pittsburgh for a limited three-night engagement at Alumni Theater, September 24–26, 2026, as the second stop on its national tour. Post-show talkbacks will feature:

Thursday, September 24 – Joining after the Friday performance, Gabby Gray of Pittsburgh United and Our Water Campaign will explore the parallels between the Flint water crisis and Pittsburgh's own ongoing struggles with water safety and accountability, and Oliver Morrison of Pittsburgh Public Source will discuss his coverage of the Pittsburgh water crisis and the importance of investigative journalism in spotlighting important environmental and public health issues.

Friday, September 25 – Following the Thursday performance, Curtis Da'Von of Clean Water Action and Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis from Women for a Healthy Environment join the cast and creative team of The Poisoner for a post-show conversation connecting the dots between Flint, Pittsburgh, and community efforts to address lead contamination locally.

Performance Details

Dates: September 24–26, 2026, at 7:00 PM
Venue: Alumni Theater | 6601 Hamilton Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Tickets: www.alumnitheatercompany.org/tickets

ABOUT THE POISONER

The Poisoner is a universal tale — an unraveling of the deception, abuse of power, and utter negligence of early 2000s Midwestern water politics. In a neo-noir thriller driven by a determined journalist who returns to his hometown and uncovers more than he bargained for, The Poisoner invites audiences to question: are we ever safe?

Presented by Citizen56 and Uncommon Productions, the production is a fictional work inspired by the Flint water crisis of 2014, aiming to engage audiences and amplify awareness about the persistent challenges faced in Flint, Jackson, Newark, Pittsburgh, and other communities grappling with aging infrastructure, water contamination, and the fight for corporate and government accountability.

The Poisoner is on a 7-city national tour running September 17 – October 31, 2026. Tour cities include Bethlehem, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Kenosha, WI; Madison, WI; De Pere, WI; Kalamazoo, MI; and Detroit, MI. In each city, the production will engage directly with local communities — connecting with organizers, advocates, and residents fighting for clean air, safe water, and community control of the resources that corporations have long sought to exploit. The Poisoner originally premiered at New York's acclaimed La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in 2024 on the 10-year anniversary of the Flint water crisis. More info: uncommonproductions.com/the-poisoner

ABOUT UNCOMMON PRODUCTIONS

Uncommon Productions was founded in 2000 by Tim Disney and Bill Haney. Uncommon Productions tells stories that inspire, enlighten, and engage.

ABOUT CITIZEN56

Citizen56 is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides educational information about history, democracy, science, social institutions and the environment via online service platforms and applications, films, books, and other forms of relevant media.

SOURCE Citizen56