"Uncanny Valley" by Thomas Gibbons

Pear Theatre greets the new year with a production of UNCANNY VALLEY by Thomas Gibbons. “Uncanny valley” is a computer industry term, referring to a sense of unease when a computer-generated figure, or humanoid robot, appears almost – but not 'quite' – human. UNCANNY VALLEY – which shows us a synthetic being during the slow process of becoming a human analogue – explores the painful divide between creator and creation, the inherent unpredictability of consciousness, and how we are redefining what it means to be human in the twenty-first century. The Washington Post called it “fascinating ... cerebrally challenging. The questions the play raises — can, for instance, a robot’s consciousness attain a level of sophistication that qualifies as sentience? — compel one to consider whether like the Tin Man, a manufactured being might actually someday possess a heart”.