JUSTICE IN THE EMBERS
by Michelle T. Johnson
In a rare intersection of journalism and theater, StoryWorks KC: Justice in the Embers, written by Michelle T. Johnson & directed by Jennifer Welch, brings to the stage the tragic 1988 explosion that killed six Kansas City firefighters, the resulting convictions, and lingering questions brought to the forefront by Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Mike McGraw, who began this reporting while at The Kansas City Star. This production was a collaboration with KCPT and the Center of Investigative Journalism.
Justice in the Embers ran at The Living Room Theatre in February of 2016
"Johnson, a former journalist and one-time attorney, lays out the pro and con arguments clearly. But watching the play and reading McGraw’s reporting, some of which is reprinted in the program, you can’t avoid the logical conclusion that Sheppard and his fellow defendants may have been railroaded."
- Robert Trussell, KC Star
