Sointi

Musiikki-improvisaatioteatteri Sointi is a collective founded in 2021, specialising in improvised musicals. Sointi's performers are professionals in theatre, music, and dance with years of experience. The group consists of eight singing actors and three musicians.

What happens in an impro musical?

At the start of the show, even we don't yet know what the musical will be about. We begin by asking the audience for suggestions — for example, the title of the musical and where it takes place.

From there, our actors and musicians improvise an entire musical on the spot. The whole story, along with all its songs — harmonies, choreography, and all — is performed and heard for the first and last time. The next show will have a completely new story and new music.

How on earth do you rehearse something like this?

It's true that an improvised musical can't be rehearsed in quite the same way as a scripted play. But the field of impro musicals is so vast that a group like Sointi, which rehearses regularly, has an endless amount to work on.

In the musical numbers we can dive into melodies, harmonies, lyrics and rhyming, dance and choreography, good vocal technique, or the distinctive traits of different musical genres. And to turn individual songs into a full musical, you also need storytelling, character creation, mime, and all kinds of general acting skills.

Our group has a wide range of expertise, and we have also worked with exceptional outside coaches on our journey into the world of impro musicals. Sointi's coaches have included Hannu Risku, Miiko Toiviainen, Hanna Lekander, Taina Mäki-iso, Duncan Walsh Atkins and Ali James.

Do you do anything other than musicals?

Musicals are our main thing, but we do other stuff too sometimes.

Impro techniques can be divided into two main types: short form and long form. The impro most people know from TV is often short form, where the show consists of standalone games and scenes that aren't meant to form a coherent story. Impro musicals, on the other hand, are long form.

We also perform short-form impro when it best suits the occasion — for example at bar gigs or festivals. For private events such as birthday parties or company Christmas parties, short form is often a natural choice too.

Speaking of which, book us for a show!