THE POISONER: A gripping neo-noir thriller at Marygrove Theatre

A touring NYC production inspired the Flint water crisis. In Detroit for one weekend only. Get your tickets before they sell out!

Premiered at New York’s acclaimed La MaMa Experimental Theatre in 2024, The Poisoner is written by first-time playwright and Port Huron native M. M. Haney, and directed and developed by two-time Obie Award-winning director Lee Sunday Evans. The play portrays one journalist’s shocking discovery of water contamination in his hometown and its personal and political fallout.

Only 3 shows!

October 29 @7:30 PM October 30 @7:00 PM October 31 @3:00 PM

COMMUNITY TALKBACKS

Following the Thursday, October 29 and Friday, October 30 performances we will host talkbacks with Melissa Mays and Nayyirah Shariff from Flint Rising and Sylvia Orduño with the Detroit People's Water Board Coalition, two groups at the center of Michigan's fight for clean, affordable, publicly controlled water. We will also be joined by journalists from Michigan Radio: News Director Vince Duffy and Lindsay Smith, creator of the award winning "Not Safe to Drink" to talk about the journalist's angle of the play and the real-life crisis. SYNOPSIS

A universal tale, The Poisoner is an unraveling of the deception, abuse of power, and utter negligence of early 2000’s 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 you to question, are we ever safe?

The Poisoner is a fictional work inspired by the Flint water crisis of 2014 that aims to engage audiences to amplify awareness about the persistent challenges faced in Flint, Jackson, Newark, and other communities grappling with similar crises. The Poisoner spotlights the critical need for accountability and vigilance in public health and safety decision-making, to ensure that such a grievous mistake is never repeated. The play is a tribute to the resilience and spirit of activism; it celebrates the relentless efforts of journalists, artists, and activists who have tirelessly worked to give voice to those in their fight for justice and change.