The Poisoner at Touchstone Theatre
The play "The Poisoner" uses the Flint water crisis as a backdrop to examine community control over essential resources, drawing parallels to the rapid growth of AI and data centers. In the Lehigh Valley, proposed data center developments have ignited significant public opposition and concerns over land, energy, and water usage, leading to packed and disrupted public meetings. The content highlights the scarcity of water and questions who makes decisions about vital community resources amidst substantial data center investments.
The neo-noir thriller "The Poisoner" explores what occurs when critical community resource decisions are made without public involvement, drawing inspiration from the Flint water crisis. Playwright Maura Haney connects these themes to the burgeoning artificial intelligence sector and its associated data center developments, raising questions about the extensive land, energy, and water demands of these facilities and the authority behind such decisions.
This discussion holds particular relevance in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, where numerous proposed data center projects have generated significant local concern over resource depletion. Public meetings addressing these developments have been marked by substantial attendance, with some reportedly being "shut down" due to the large number of participants and prevailing opposition.
While substantial capital expenditure, estimated at hundreds of billions this year and projected to reach trillions next year by major AI companies, is fueling data center expansion, the transcript notes that these facilities create relatively few local jobs, typically around 12 per center. With water becoming an increasingly scarce resource, the narrative emphasizes the critical need for community involvement in decisions impacting essential services, prompting a dialogue on the trade-offs inherent in supporting AI's rapid growth. "The Poisoner" is set to launch its national tour at Touchstone Theatre in Bethlehem.