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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”.
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