Glitches and Uncanny in Redefining Naturalism in Performance

This paper is about how glitches—moments of technological error and disruption—redefine the concept of naturalism in contemporary performance through the intersection of human and machine interaction. As automation, robotics, and Artificial Intelligence increasingly enter the stage, traditional ideas of authenticity and emotional truth in acting are challenged. Naturalism, once grounded in the spontaneity and psychological realism of human experience, now confronts mechanical repetition, predictability, and precision. Yet, rather than diminishing realism, these automated errors—glitches—expose new emotional and philosophical dimensions of performance. They blur the line between authenticity and artifice, revealing the human desire to locate meaning even within malfunction. Drawing from Masahiro Mori’s Uncanny Valley, Ulf Otto’s Performing the Glitch, and Don Ihde’s “absent presence,” this essay argues that glitches act as portals through which audiences and performers encounter a new naturalism—one that embraces imperfection, reconsiders emotional labor, and acknowledges the shared vulnerability of humans and machines.

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Otto, Ulf. Performing the Glitch: AI Animatronics, Android Scenarios, and the Human Bias. Palgrave Macmillan, 2019.