Elisabeth Gunawan / KISS WITNESS Elisabeth Gunawan is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning writer-performer, as founder of the artistic collective KISS WITNESS, her work seeks to decolonise the imagination and empower people. KISS WITNESS’ past works include ‘Unforgettable Girl’ (The Pleasance, VOILA! Festival 2023) and ‘Stampin’ in the Graveyard’ (Summerhall, VOILA! Festival 2024-25). Their work has received critical acclaim including 5-star reviews from The Stage, Theatre Weekly and Morning Star, and won multiple awards including the Stage Debut Award 2022 (Best Performer in a Play), the OffFest Award 2024 and an IC Award (Pioneer Category). As a performer/deviser, she has performed across the UK in the Bristol Old Vic, Southbank Centre, HOME Manchester, and Northern Stage.
As part of her lab, KISS WITNESS developed two new works. ‘Stampin’ in the Graveyard’, an immersive headphone performance exploring an AI chatbot at the end of the world later ran at Summerhall for the Edinburgh Fringe 2025. ‘Prayers for a Hungry Ghost’, a haunting exploration of Chinese mythology reimagining hungry ghosts as a metaphor for intergenerational trauma in migrant families, premiered at the Barbican Centre in autumn 2025.
Elisabeth Gunawan completed a Lab residency in 2024.
