An American Journey

Synopsis

A Passionate Retelling Of The Daniel Bell Incident, In Which A Black Man Was Shot And Killed While Running From Police Officers. The Daniel Bell Incident Twice Was A Major Story In Milwaukee. In 1958, The 22-year-old Black Man Was Shot And Killed While Running From A Pair Of Uniformed Milwaukee Policemen. In The Late 1970s, One Of The Former Police Officers Came Forward And Admitted The Shooting Incident Was Not Self-defense And That There Was A Cover-up That Spread From The Milwaukee Police Department To The Office Of The District Attorney. That Disclosure Launched A Criminal Trial And Subsequent Civil Suit By The Family Of The Slain Man. The Bell Incident Forms The Basis Of A Compelling And, For The Most Part, Engrossing Play, An American Journey. Rugg, Variety Kermit Frazier's And John Leicht's An American Journey Is A Piece Of Fine Playwriting ... The Play Is An Effective And Moving Piece Of Drama. -jay Joslyn, Milwaukee Sentinel ... Authors Kermit Frazier And John Leicht [bring] Forth A Model Of Clarity And Condensation That Is All The More Notable For Its Power To Move Us. -nels Nelson, Philadelphia Daily News An American Journey, A Provocative Play That Rings With Awareness Of American Life As People Are Actually Living It Today. -william B Collins, The Philadelphia Inquirer The Play Creates A Haunting Portrait Of A Transient Country In Which Many Characters, Both Black And White, Seem Unable To Settle Down In One Place. -bruce Murphy, Milwaukee Playwrights Kermit Frazier (who Is Black) And John Leicht (who Is White) Have Succeed In Fashioning A Powerhouse Play ... That Is Ingenious In Structure (moving Through Time With Cinematic Grace), Passionate In Content ... -charles Lee, W F L N