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 entered the public eye after winning Triple J’s RAW Comedy national open mic competition in 2009. She soon debuted in Edinburgh, and the following year was invited to perform in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s “Comedy Zone” showcase for emerging talent.
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 ABC 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 a vengeance, 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. She then went onto 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 international prominence seemed imminent. During that time, Cassie dedicated herself to writing and received a grant from the City of Sydney to create Aberdeen, an epic one-hour poem about rock star Kurt Cobain. First performed in the round at the East Sydney Community Theatre between lockdowns, both performances sold out immediately, with the work described as “a poetic genius’ punk-rock love letter.” Aberdeen went on to receive rave reviews, a plethora of five-star ratings, and praise from artists including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who said, “Cassie is a phenomenal storyteller… I was floored.” Cassie took the show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it won the prestigious Fringe First Award in 2022.
In 2023, Cassie toured Aberdeen through London, New York and San Francisco before relocating to New York City, where she became a regular performer at major comedy clubs including the Comedy Cellar.
Cassie has since returned to Australia, where she debuted her latest work, You Are Here, receiving five-star reviews from The Age and The Guardian, another nomination for Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and sold-out runs around the country.
Cassie’s television appearances include Channel 10’s It’s a Date and Die on Your Feet. Her extensive writing credits include Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell (ABC), Head Writer on the cult favourite Aaron Chen Tonight (ABC2), Tractor Monkeys (ABC), and publications as diverse as Blitz Martial Arts Magazine, Tigerair’s inflight magazine Tigertails, The West Australian, and The Music.