The season debut of the The Nature of Things on Thursday night will feature new hosts and some big Stratford contributions.
Sarika Cullis-Suzuki and Anthony Morgan are taking over hosting duties from David Suzuki, who departs after 44 years.
The episode, A User’s Guide to the Voice, is written, produced and directed by Stratford-based Markham Street Films.
It's the fifth collaboration on The Nature of Things for the local company. The 60-minute documentary, airing on CBC and CBC Gem at 9 p.m., 'explores the magic and mysteries of the remarkable mechanism that is the human voice.'
Michael McNamara and his wife, Judy Holm, who founded Markham Street Films, have worked together on numerous documentary projects over the years.
None of them took as long as this one to complete, McNamara told StratfordToday.
"We started this just as COVID was beginning...so we were unsure if we could go right into production," he said.
The episode features physicians, voice therapists, performing artists and vocal professionals, all taking a deep dive into voice.
"We wanted to include local people who use their voice for a living, try to come up with ideas for something we use everyday and take for granted. Our voices say a lot about who we are, where we come from."
One of the standout scenes in the documentary features a classic car, health professionals and a little Rod Stewart.
Morgan, a scientist and musician, features in the episode. He fears he may be losing his voice. During the episode, Morgan consults with Dr. Simon McBride, of the Vocal Function Lab at Western University Hospital, who agrees to measure his vocal health.
McNamara wanted to film the whole scene in a hospital setting but COVID rules ended up opening up another creative door.
They came up with the idea of a carpool karaoke-style scene. Morgan joins Dr. McBride and speech language pathologist Lori Holmes, who also has Stratford connections, for some vocal tips inside a vehicle as they drive around Stratford and Perth County.
Dr. McBride mentioned to the creative team that he is an avid car collector, so they used his '94 Bentley Continental, previously owned by Rod Stewart.
"We have him singing a Rod Stewart song and trying different things with his voice to get better and closer to his real voice."
Other scenes in the documentary include creative artists and musicians as they warm up and perform, including Lori Cullen, and Suba Sankarin, singing with Aaron Davis and Friends at Revival House, as part of the Stratford Summer Music festival.
"It was an opportunity to hear great singers and great musicians through Stratford Summer Music."
There is also an interesting look behind the scenes at the Stratford Festival.
Though it took several years to film due to the pandemic, McNamara said audiences will enjoy the final product.
"It took longer to make than any other film we have ever made."
McNamara said the science of voice is interesting and perceptions have evolved over the years. There was a time when the only voices heard on the radio were male, announcers with big voices, for example, but now there is a variety in terms of gender and pitch.
A person with a deeper, resonant voice tends to be perceived as someone who has leadership qualities while voice activation devices like Siri and Alexa have soft female voices. There are explanations and reasons for a lot of what people understand and perceive about voice, he said.
McNamara said voice is a "pretty important part of what it means to be human."
"We want people to think about if they are putting their best voice forward, are people perceiving me the way I would like to be perceived and what can I do to keep my voice healthy?"
