Blood, gore, and lesbian sex: Violent opera leaves 18 audience members needing medical aid | Trending

Eighteen attendees at Germany’s Stuttgart state opera required medical assance for severe nausea after witnessing a performance that included live piercing, unsimulated sexual intercourse, and a mix of both fake and real blood. This alarming situation occurred over the weekend during two showings of Sancta, a provocative piece Austrian choreographer Florentina Holzinger. Eighteen audience members at Stuttgart opera needed medical treatment after watching a shocking performance. (Unsplash) Sebastian Ebling, a spokesperson for the opera, reported, “On Saturday we had eight and on Sunday we had ten people who had to be looked after our visitor service.” In three cases, medical professionals were called in to provide treatment. (Also read: Japan-bound flight screens R-rated movie for all passengers without option to switch) Holzinger’s provocative styleHolzinger, 38, is renowned for her boundary-pushing performances that meld dance theatre with elements of vaudeville. Her all-female ensemble often performs partially or fully naked, and previous works have included acts of sword-swallowing, tattooing, and the use of blood and fresh excrement in action paintings. In a recent interview with the Guardian, Holzinger remarked, “Good technique in dance to me is not just someone who can do a perfect tendu, but also someone who can urinate on cue.” Sancta, Holzinger’s first venture into opera, premiered at the Mecklenburg state theatre in Schwerin in May. It is inspired Paul Hindemith’s expression opera Sancta Susanna, which has a hory of controversy surrounding its themes. Horical context and modern interpretationHindemith’s original opera, which tells the story of a young nun whose arousal leads her to an act of sacrilege, was initially set to premiere at Stuttgart in 1921 but faced protests and was delayed until the following year. Holzinger’s adaptation replaced the original score with naked nuns roller-skating on a movable half-pipe and included shocking imagery such as a wall of crucified naked bodies and a lesbian priest conducting mass. After Holzinger presented Sancta in Vienna, bishops from Salzburg and Innsbruck condemned it as a “disrespectful caricature of the holy mass.” However, Holzinger clarified that her work aims to explore the relationship between conservative institutions and kink communities, rather than mock the church. (Also read: Kolkata model’s outfit for Durga Puja pandal sparks outrage: ‘How can this be allowed?’) Audience advisory and commercial successEbling urged potential attendees to read the performance warnings thoroughly, which included triggers such as incense, loud noises, explicit sexual acts, and depictions of sexual violence. “If you have questions, speak to the visitor service,” he advised. “And when in doubt during the performance, it might help to avert your gaze.” Despite the unsettling incidents, reports of medical treatment did not negatively impact the commercial success of Sancta. All five remaining performances at Stuttgart’s state opera, along with two shows at Berlin’s Volksbühne in November, have sold out.