The Longest Minute

Presented by Ipswich Civic Centre and Queensland Theatre
A Queensland Theatre, Debase Productions and
JUTE Theatre Company co-production
Written by Robert Kronk and Nadine McDonald-Dowd

One football club, one family, and one unforgettable NRL grand final.

Where were you the night of the 2015 NRL Grand Final? The night when long-time underdogs the North Queensland Cowboys won in an all-Queensland nail-biter that changed the game,
and the state, forever. For one family of Cowboys diehards, their whole lives have led up to this moment.

Jessica Wright has footy in her blood. She was born into a family of rugby league fanatics. Living in Townsville, her dad, mum and brother all barrack for underdogs, the North Queensland Cowboys. Determined to pursue her passion for playing league, we watch Jess grow up, in parallel with the trials and tribulations of the NQ Cowboys until their (21 years in the waiting) win
of the 2015 NRL Grand Final.

The Longest Minute is the story of how this game, and the teams that played, affected the lives of one family. It tells the story of a girl who wants to make her dad proud and succeed in the male-dominated sport of Rugby League.

THE LONGEST MINUTE IS 80 MINUTES OF HIGH-ENERGY THEATRICALITY THAT SPANS JOYFUL HIGHS AND SOME TRAGIC LOWS. WITH THE HIGH-PROFILE SUCCESS OF AUSTRALIAN WOMEN IN SPORT – FROM THE AFLW TO THE GIANT-BEATING MATILDAS (WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM), THE SHOW IS A TIMELY STORY THAT CELEBRATES THE POWER OF DETERMINATION IN THE FACE OF PREJUDICE. (Queensland Theatre Artistic Director,
Sam Strong)