MyCity Logan is teaming up with the Logan Entertainment Centre to giveaway a double pass to Jenny Woodward’s Weathering Well on Sunday June 13.
The show is a potted history of the life and times of the Queensland icon and revered weather presenter in her one-woman stage show.
Woodward has been a weather presenter with the ABC for 30 years.
She started in Toowoomba where she produced and directed children’s programs, before moving to Brisbane as assistant producer of children’s show Wombat.
To enter the competition, email your name, mailing address and contact number to prize@mycitylogan.com.au with “JENNY” in the subject line.
In the body of the email, answer the following question: What has Jenny Woodward been presenting for 30 years?
- Please note: entries with the wrong subject line will not be valid.
- The competition closes at 5pm on Monday, May 24, and the winner will be notified by email by 5pm Tuesday May 25.
- Terms and conditions are at mycitylogan.com.au
Those people without access to email and who wish to enter the competition, are able to text their details to 0477 316 892.
Meanwhile, here’s a Q&A with Woodward:
Who came up with the idea to develop and star in a one-woman show – you or your son (and the show’s producer) Alex?
It was something I’d been toying with for a while. A couple of years ago, Alex asked me if I would be in a production of Bare he was producing at Brisbane Powerhouse, largely because I had been nagging him for some time to find a part for me! It was so great to stretch myself. I thought it was fun and I wouldn’t mind doing something more.
I’ve been giving a talk – basically a slide show and a chat – about my life on and off for 15 years at lots of clubs and community groups like Probus and Rotary. As time went on, I refined this talk, adding photos and stories, and I spoke to Alex about possibly ramping that up and turning it into something a bit more polished and complex.
It’s probably taken two-and-a-half years. I had thought we could bump it together and have it ready in six months but Alex just looked at me and shook his head and I soon found out that it really wasn’t going to be so easy! When COVID-19 hit, that pushed things back even further but it also gave us time to really craft it into a show and to bring some terrific people on board.
You and your husband Doug are often spotted in the audience supporting Queensland’s arts sector but Bare wasn’t the first time you appeared on stage, was it?
I studied theatre when I left school; a three-year course at the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (DDIAE), now the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). I worked with a travelling theatre company in New England, NSW, but it wasn’t a particularly happy company so I moved back to Toowoomba and took up a job in television; part-time at first so I also had another little job cleaning hotels on the weekend. What a contrast!
Doug and I have always been huge theatregoers and supporters since we moved to Brisbane. I guess I had always felt that I hadn’t fulfilled that early acting ambition. I did a little acting course here and there but hadn’t pursued it any further. I got to that point in my life where I thought, if I don’t do this now, I’m never going to do it. I’m in a position at the ABC where I have enough leave that I can take time off to do Weathering Well. And of course, I didn’t have to audition which was the best part!
Weathering Well is premiering at Brisbane Powerhouse before it hits the road on a regional Queensland tour. Are there any particular parts of the state you’re keen to visit?
I said from the outset I really wanted to take this show to western Queensland which has been a huge part of my audience ever since I started in television. When I worked in Toowoomba at DDQ 10/4/5a, weather reports were crucial because I was talking to farmers, they were the station’s primary audience. Weather forecasting has come a long way since then.
I knew that people in the west depended on me and what I told them, because they didn’t have any other ways to find out what was going on. I guess, from that, I have felt this connection with people outside the city since the beginning of my career. I’m really looking forward to taking this show throughout regional Queensland and to coastal communities.
These days, most weather presenters spend as much, if not more, time on location than they do in the studio. I believe you were one of the early pioneers of this practice?
There’s that somewhat weird thing in Australia – and I’m not sure if they do it overseas – where television stations seem to say: “Let’s put the weather presenter in a wacky location that has absolutely nothing to do with weather!” I suppose it’s a bit of light relief at the end of what can be a very sobering bulletin. In my case, those locations are often my suggestion!
I love going out on location, particularly once I get out of the city. I get to meet so many wonderful people and find out a bit more about their lives which are so different to mine in Brisbane. I need to know that I’m meeting their needs and these visits give me a better appreciation and understanding of their circumstances.
Can you give us a few hints about what audiences can expect to see in Weathering Well?
It will be a potted history about the life and times of a weather presenter. We’ll have live music, a really great multimedia element with video projections and a bit of comedy here and there. Weathering Well is an autobiographical show but it won’t be all about me. Australia has some really interesting weather history and there’s one particular character I’m going to spend a bit of time on, Clement Wragge, who was one of the founders of weather forecasting in Australia.
I know people are fascinated by the process of making television, so we will get into that. I’m also going to talk about hairstyles and fashion and how they’ve changed over the years and I’ve got some fairly startling photos which I am going to share. There’s a lot of, “oh my God, what was I thinking?!” I have always worn clothes that are a bit more out there than other people but you can kind of get away with it when you’re presenting the weather.
I’ll also talk about working on location, not just at the Ekka but other places too because I’ve managed to travel quite a bit with the job and also in my role as an Australia Day Ambassador.
Back it up, did you say live music?
The plan is for me to be on stage with music director Luke Volker on the keyboard, underscoring the show. I think having a live musician on stage will give the whole show a more theatrical edge. It’s the kind of thing I don’t think people would expect me to do.
We are trying to create something a little bit out-of-the-box but, of course, it will still be “me” on stage. People are coming because they want to see the “me” that they see on television so the musical element is just about trying to add an extra theatrical dimension.
Does these mean Weathering Well will end with a big song and dance number instead of a weather report?
Oh, we might have a little sing at the end!
Terms and Conditions:
MyCity Media Devon Pixies High Tea Competition 2021
2. This is a game of skill with entrants answering a question in order to win the prize.
3. Entry is open to persons over 18 years of age and Queensland residents only. Only one entry per person is permitted. All duplicate entries will be removed prior to the prize draw.
4. Promotion commences on Monday, May 10, and closes at 5pm Monday, May 17, 2021. Promotion will be via www.mycitylogan.com.au and MyCity Logan printed edition.
5. There is one (1) prize to be won for the duration of the competition. The draw will take place at 4pm, Tuesday May 18. The winner will be notified by email or phone. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
7. Prize Details are as follows:
Minimum total prize value: $90
8. All above prizes include GST. This prize is not transferable, exchangeable or redeemable for cash or other prizes. Prize value is recommended retail value as provided by the supplier and is correct at time of printing. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for any variation in prize value.
10. In the event that for any reason whatsoever a winner does not take an element of the prize at the time stipulated by the promoter then that element of the prize will be forfeited by the winner and cash will not be awarded in lieu of that element of the prize.
12. The Promoter shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever which is suffered (including but not limited to direct or consequential loss) or for any personal injury suffered or sustained in connection with any prize/s except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law.
13. The promoter is MyCity Media, ABN 46 716 990 054, Australia.
