A new play exploring the 1995 arrest and death of Johnny Gammage opens tonight at the Henry Heymann Theater.

In 1995, a black businessman named Jonny Gammage died at the hands of five white policemen at a routine traffic stop. The court cases and public outcry that followed Gammage’s death left an indelible mark on the Pittsburgh region for years. Director Mark Southers and playwright, Atillio “Buck” Favorini talk about “The Gammage Project,” a new play that addresses the suppressed emotions that continue to affect race relations in our area today.