Olympia is at the center of a supernatural threat in this new animated show
Cassie Workman visited Olympia in 2019 for research. At the time, she was writing “Aberdeen,” a live show about the life of Kurt Cobain.
“I went to Olympia to get ideas and I just sort of fell in love with it,” the Australian comedian told The Olympian over a video call. “I thought it was such a beautiful city and I really liked the people. I really liked the vibe.”
A year later, the pandemic upended life around the world. Like many people, Workman looked for projects to keep her busy.
“My agent called me up and said, ‘Do you have any ideas for an animated series?’” Workman said. “I said, ‘No, but I have a lot of time,’ and I started writing something that I thought was fun.”
The result is “SORRY ABOUT THE MESS,” an animated, adult comedy show set in Olympia that’s being executive produced by Lilly Wachowski, one of the famed directors of “The Matrix.” The show follows “trans train wreck” Alice Peril, a punk rock singer who must face a “world-ending supernatural threat” after going through an ill-timed breakup, according to the show’s successful Kickstarter campaign.
When asked why she chose Olympia, Workman said she misses the city and admires its music legacy.
“I wanted to set the show there because there’s such a great history of the Riot Grrrl movement, grunge and a punk ethos,” Workman said. “Those are things that I’m very interested in. So, it was a no-brainer for me to set it in Olympia. It’s a magical city.”
Workman described the setting as a fictionalized version of Olympia with some analogous landmarks.
“We might not have Spar Café, but we’ll have Christine’s Diner,” Workman said. “We might not have Dumpster Values, but we’ll have Garb-Age.”
As of Monday, Workman has raised at least $44,368 to make a series pilot, surpassing her goal. She said she chose to fundraise on Kickstarter to get it off the ground and draw the attention of streaming services.
“We were really floored by how much support it got, and so quickly,” Workman said. “People are really hungry for this idea, for this representation and for this show… This bodes really well for getting the entire series made.”
The show is being produced by Princess Bento, a collaboration between Australia-based animation studio Princes Pictures and U.S. studio Bento Box Entertainment. With their funding goal met, Workman said her team will produce a full animatic pilot, which is essentially like a rough draft before fully clean animation.
“Anything that we make now, on top of what we have, just goes towards making that animation better and better, and giving some more opportunities to some creators and experts in this animation field to just make it look better,” she said.
Workman said the first episode will be released for free on YouTube in 2027.
So, how did Wachowski get involved as an executive producer? Workman said she simply wrote Wachowski a letter.
“I thought, well, Lilly Wachowski would be an excellent choice,” Workman said. “It’s a show that’s centered around a trans character. I’m a trans woman, and she’s a trans woman, so it seemed like a good marriage.”
Wachowski loved the idea and invited her to meet her in Chicago, Workman said. They’ve become “quite good friends,” she added.
“I go over to Chicago sometimes, and we work together on what the show is going to be, how it’s going to look, what’s happening in season one and all that stuff,” Workman said. “She’s very involved in the project, so it’s been really great working with her and to sit in a room across from one of the greatest, most iconic creators of a generation.”
In the course of the show, Alice Peril learns she has the power to heal. This discovery prompts a god of bats to recruit her to fight an ancient demon, Workman said. In the ensuing plot, Peril must balance her mundane problems with a struggle against this existential threat, she added.
In many ways, the show’s main character is personal for Workman. Like Alice Peril, Workman said she played in bands in her early 20s and faced some of the same problems she does. Peril is also sarcastic, stoic and tends to hide her feelings just as she does, Workman said. Yet, Peril also inspires her.
“When you create this character, who is like an aspirational character of what you thought you could have been, she starts to influence what you do as well and how you dress and how you act,” Workman said. “It’s sort of like you’re creating this person that you wish you had the chance to be.”
Workman said she hopes the show earns the support of the people of Olympia. If all goes well, she said she’s even open to screening the show here.
“I’d love to go back to Olympia one day, see it again and hang out because it really is a special place,” Workman said.
