Port Huron Northern alum's play inspired by Flint water crisis now performing in New York

McKenna Golat, Port Huron Times Herald
·2 min read
The cast of "The Poisoner" during rehearsal.
The cast of "The Poisoner" during rehearsal.

A play written by a Port Huron Northern alumna invites audiences to question if we are ever safe.

Maura McCarthy-Haney graduated from Port Huron Northern in 1997. Her play, "The Poisoner" will be making its off off-Broadway debut the first weekend of April at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, which is one of the feeder theatres for Broadway. "The Poisoner" will be performed a decade after the beginning of the Flint water crisis, the play's inspiration.

"I think it's a bigger story about American infrastructure and I hope that it resonates with a lot of people beyond Michigan," McCarthy-Haney said.

"The Poisoner" will have its opening performance at 8 p.m. on April 6 in La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, located at 66 East Fourth St. in New York. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at www.lamama.org.

McCarthy-Haney said it feels amazing to have her play go to the off-Broadway stage.

McCarthy-Haney describes the play as a neo-noir thriller. Per the play's synopsis, "The Poisoner" is an unravelling of the deception, abuse of power and negligence of early 2000s Michigan water politics. Driven by a journalist who returns to his hometown and uncovers more than he bargained for, "The Poisoner" invites people to question, are we ever safe?

"The Poisoner" is being directed by multi-Obie Award winner Lee Sunday Evans.

Director Lee Sunday Evans at rehearsal for "The Poisoner." The play was written by a Port Huron Northern alumna and is set to open on April 6.
Director Lee Sunday Evans at rehearsal for "The Poisoner." The play was written by a Port Huron Northern alumna and is set to open on April 6.

McCarthy-Haney said she sees the Flint water crisis as a turning point in national views on infrastructure and water quality. She said her interest in the policies behind these events were what inspired the play.

Off-Broadway theatres and productions are a part of the Broadway network. McCarthy-Haney said La Mama Experimental Theatre Club is one of multiple off-Broadway theatres. She said these theatres are sort of like a training ground for Broadway productions.

Contact McKenna Golat at mgolat@gannett.com.

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This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Port Huron Northern alum play 'The Poisoner' now performing