Counterpilot
Conspirators

Nathan Sibthorpe // Artistic Director

Nathan Sibthorpe is a contemporary performance-maker and video designer based in Brisbane, Australia. He is best known as the director of Counterpilot – the award-winning collective of transmedia performance artists responsible for: Adrift (Metro Arts, 2022); C’est Bon Salon (Brisbane Festival, 2022); Avoidable Perils (Brisbane Festival & Darwin Festival, 2020); Truthmachine (Sydney Festival, Brisbane Festival & others, 2019-22); Statum (Brisbane Powerhouse & Flipside Circus, 2019); Crunch Time (Next Wave Festival & Metro Arts, 2018) and Spectate (Metro Arts, 2017). In 2018, Nathan was the recipient of the Dr Don Batchelor Award for Drama Research at QUT. In 2022, Nathan received a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Production for Young People, with I’ve Been Meaning to Ask You.

Nathan’s other credits as a performance-maker include: Bunker (Metro Arts & Lisa Wilson Projects, 2022); One Bottle Later (The Good Room & Brisbane Festival, 2020); I’ve Been Meaning to Ask You (The Good Room & Brisbane Festival, 2018-22); Tyrone & Lesley in a Spot (Queensland Cabaret Festival, 2015-19); and Some Dumb Play (Metro Arts, 2012). As a Video Designer, notable credits include: Horizon (Playlab, 2021); The Holidays (Queensland Theatre, 2020); To Kill a Cassowary (JUTE, 2020); Leotard (DeBASE & Metro Arts, 2020); Blue Bones (Playlab, 2017-22); Locked In (Shock Therapy Productions, 2015-21); and He Dreamed a Train (Brisbane Powerhouse, 2014).

Nathan was previously Queensland Theatre Company’s Geek-In-Residence in 2012-14; the Festival Director of Short+Sweet Queensland from 2013-16; an Australia Council JUMP artist in 2012; and the Creative Director for Markwell Presents Cinematic Theatre Company from 2016-18. Nathan sometimes teaches performance studies at QUT, where he holds a Masters Degree in contemporary performance.

Christine Felmingham // LX & Tech Designer

Christine is an Australian lighting designer based in Brisbane, with a creative practice spanning theatre, dance, opera, installation, and circus. She loves collaborative, cross-disciplinary practice that blurs the line between forms. Christine is also a Company Director for Counterpilot Arts, an award-winning collective of transmedia performance artists, where she spends much of her time working as their lighting designer and production / technical manager. 

Her unique blend of technical expertise and creative flair has earned her three nominations for a  Matilda Award for her outstanding lighting designs on Adrift (Counterpilot, 2022); Bunker (Lisa Wilson Projects, 2022); & The Bull, The Moon and The Coronet of Stars (The Hive Collective, 2021). In 2019 she was presented with the inaugural Emerging Female Leader Award at the Matilda Awards Ceremony, and values supporting and mentoring others throughout her creative practice. Christine holds Bachelor's degrees in Technical Production and Drama from QUT where she also sometimes lectures.

She has created lighting designs for a diverse range of companies and festivals, including: Opera Queensland (Lucia Di Lammermoor, 2024; Macbeth, 2023; The Sopranos, 2022) West Australian Opera (La Boheme, 2023); Australasian Dance Collective (Halcyon, 2023; Echo, 2019); Dead Puppet Society (ISHMAEL, 2021); La Boite Theatre Company (Ceasar, 2021); Playlab (Rising, 2021; The Dead Devils of Cockle Creek, 2018); Understudy Productions (Sweet Charity, 2019); Vulcana Circus (As If No-one is Watching, 2018); Belloo Creative (Rovers, 2018-21); and Now Look Here Theatre Company (Sound of a Finished Kiss, 2018; Splendour, 2017; Slight Ache & The Lover, 2016).

Mike Willmett // Sound Designer

Mike Willmett is an Australian sound designer, composer and key creative for dance, installation and theatre productions and a core creative in the award-winning tech-troublemaking collective Counterpilot. Mike’s sound design and composition has been reviewed as “superbly [heightening] the complexity…through a challenging and emotive score” (The Almighty Sometimes – Winner of the 2022 Best Main Stage Matilda Award);  “of the highest order, extremely clever and genuinely exciting…a feast for the ears” (Crunch Time – Winner of the 2018 Best New Australian Work Matilda Award), “amazing” and “unnerving” sounds that “sit in the peripherals of your hearing, building the tension while not distracting” (Squad Goals), “evocative… immersive… inclusive” (The Stance), and as a “beautiful cacophony” (Room #328). In 2022, he was nominated for two Matilda Awards (best sound or composition) for The Almighty Sometimes and Adrift.

Outside of Counterpilot, other credits include Queensland Theatre’s Medea (2024); Vietgone (2023), and The Almighty Sometimes (2022); Let’s Be Friends Furever (The Good Room & Little Red Company 2021); and The Stance (Liesel Zink 2015-2019). Mike was part of independent band My Fiction from 2008 to 2015, co-writing and releasing: Your Tokyo (2008 EP); Fire! Romance! Fire! (2010 Album); and Shallow Highs (2013 Album) and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, holding a Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice (QUT 2016), Master of Music (QUT 2009) and Bachelor of Creative Industries (Visual Art) with distinction (QUT 2007).

Elizabeth Hunt // Creative Producer

Elizabeth Hunt is a theatre, festival, and events producer working from Brisbane and beyond. Her work on the festival circuit has included the role of Associate Producer with Brisbane Festival (In-Theatre program), Event Coordinator and Project Manager with Sydney Festival (Sydney’s Symphony Under the Stars & Call to- Series), and Production Coordinator with Dark Mofo (MAC2 venue).

Her producing and production experience span work across a broad range of events and performances, from new original theatre works and orchestral concerts, to raves and live music, to roving performances and site-specific activations. Her festival credits also include Adelaide Fringe, Adelaide Festival (The Plastic Bag Store; The Cage Project), and Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Her independent producer and collaborator credits include Let’s Be Friends Furever (The Good Room and The Little Red Company, 2021); Backbone Festival 2019 - Fake News/Dumb Views, Plus One (Backbone Youth Arts, 2019); Sincerely X (Metro Arts & Vena Cava, 2019); Within A Fleeting Moment, (Interim Theatre, 2019); Contact, (Anywhere Festival 2019); The Call, (Interim Theatre, FAST 2018) and If Thy Tongue Can Speak (Interim Theatre, FAST 2017). In 2019, Elizabeth received two of three Judge’s Pick awards for best works in the Anywhere Festival, for Within A Fleeting Moment and Contact respectively. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Drama), Minor in Entertainment with distinction from QUT.