Directed, Choreographed, and Written by Tucker Tab DeGregory. Music and Lyrics by Joni Mitchell. Music Directed, Arranged, and Orchestrated by Ezri Killeen and Saoirse Lee. Produced by Sara Eslami Friedman and Owen Kiley. Photos by Ellie Levine Photography.
Graphic Design by Anna Cohen
“Freedom to me is a luxury of being able to follow the path of the heart, to keep the magic in your life. Freedom is necessary for me in order to create, and if I cannot create I don't feel alive.”
-- Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell has never stopped exploring what it means to be free. Across five decades, her music has earned nine Grammy Awards, filled 21 albums, and moved millions of listeners around the world. The Canadian-born singer-songwriter says, “I always kept my goals very short.” But much of her success came because she refused to settle: in a single city, into any one relationship, for her male colleagues calling the shots.
Joni: busy being free is an original play with music. It’s about the artist whose work, though wholly personal, encouraged generations of women to seek love and liberation. During an intimate concert with live musicians and dancers, Joni shares her journey and the stories behind her most-celebrated songs (including “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Both Sides Now,” “Blue,” “The Circle Game,” “Woodstock”). Audiences follow the life of the icon who challenged genres and expectations by establishing her identity in the industry—all on her own terms.
Tucker conceived and created Joni: Busy Being Free as a a research capstone project for Northwestern University’s Music Theatre Choreography Module. The play was presented for students and faculty at The Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts on December 5-7, 2019. The show is not being licensed.
“What an absolutely fantastic experience you’ve created with this show. For many of us who know that music well, it hits a place that Joni says she wants to hit. (I’ve taken many trips across the country with the Blue album playing, over and over, state by state.) You gave her life all the power it deserves, without an ounce of self-pity or victim to the male ego, that many might have placed on her story, choices, trials and gifts. Bravo. Thank you for such a lovely Sunday in the theatre, and a few tears to take home.”
“I wanted you to know how impressed, but not surprised, I was by [Joni: Busy Being Free]. Conceptually so clear. A major accomplishment that I hope to see developed into something that can be shared with many audiences.”
“Tucker’s brilliant staged tribute to Joni Mitchell was one of my favorite theatre events ever.”
