Cassie Workman

Cassie Workman is known for her heartfelt and emotive storytelling, her incisive wit, and brutal deconstructions of the status quo. There is no other voice like hers in comedy today.  Cassie is an Australian stand up comic, story-teller, and poet. She entered the public eye after winning Triple J’s “Raw Comedy” national open mic competition in 2009, she then debuted in Edinburgh, and the following year was invited to perform in the Melbourne Comedy Festival’s “Comedy Zone” showcase for emerging talents.    She performed her first full length show in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2011. The show, “Humans are Beautiful” won ‘Best Newcomer’ that year, and toured the country, before heading to Edinburgh Fringe.   Cassie performed her second full length show “Mercy” in 2012, a multi-media performance about a Cuban dissident, to sell-out crowds. The show toured Australia and the UK and won ‘Best Comedy’ in the Adelaide Fringe. It was later recorded and televised on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as well as being distributed through Madman Entertainment.   In 2013 Cassie toured the much-acclaimed full-length show “Ave Loretta,” solidifying her position as one of Australia’s leading storyteller / stand-ups and earning her a nomination for best show (previously known as The Barry Award) at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The show also won ‘Director’s Choice’ at the Sydney Comedy Festival.   Cassie wrote and performed another full length show in 2014, called “War” which toured the country and was invited to be reprised in Melbourne for theatre.   In 2015 Cassie performed the full length show “We Have Fun Don’t We” to great popular acclaim, the West Australian dubbing it “In turns bleak, thought provoking, and very funny.” A style that would become her trademark. After a festival hiatus in 2016, Cassie returned to the circuit in 2017, this time with a stand up show, “Nothing You Do Means Anything.” The show quickly achieved cult status as a subversive hit, and toured the country.   In 2017  Cassie came out as transgender and began transitioning. After a brief absence from the stage she returned with avengeance, especially in her role as an ABC contributor for “Tonightly with Tom Ballard.” Her series ‘So You Think You Can Trans’ picked up millions of views and shares online.  Her 2019 show “Giantess” debuted at Griffin Theatre’s Batch Festival in Sydney. Giantess interweaves music, comedy, storytelling and illustration, while exploring the anguish of coming to terms with a gender identity that doesn’t match your body. The show was a massive hit. Cassie performed Giantess at Melbourne International Comedy Festival where it quickly gained recognition, sold out, and was nominated for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award for most outstanding show, the festivals’ highest accolade. It was also nominated for a Helpmann Award for excellence in comedy. She then went on to win the Best Show Award at the Sydney Comedy Festival. Cassie also performed Giantess at London’s Soho Theatre.  The pandemic brought a halt to her touring and performing, just as her rise to stardom seemed imminent, and so she dedicated herself to writing. Scoring a grant from the City of Sydney, she wrote an epic poem called “Aberdeen.” Aberdeen is a stunning one hour long-form poem about rock star Kurt Cobain, that was performed in the round between lockdowns at the East Sydney Community Theatre. Both performances sold out rapidly, and the show was described as “A poetic genius’ punk-rock love letter.” Aberdeen played at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022, where it won the 'Fringe First' award for excellence in performance, and was heralded by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The show also received rave reviews off Broadway in New York.