Eighteen attendees at Germany's Stuttgart state opera required medical assistance 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 by Austrian choreographer Florentina Holzinger.
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 by our visitor service.” In three cases, medical professionals were called in to provide treatment.
Holzinger’s provocative style
Holzinger, 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 by Paul Hindemith’s expressionist opera Sancta Susanna, which has a history of controversy surrounding its themes.
Historical context and modern interpretation
Hindemith’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.
Audience advisory and commercial success
Ebling 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.
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