Stuttgart's state opera has addressed what really happened which led to eighteen theatregoers requiring medical assistance.
Over the weekend, the state opera in Stuttgart in Germany held performances of Florentina Holzinger’s Sancta Susanna which included unsimulated sex, both fake and real blood, alongside live piercing on stage.
The opera has received criticism and it was reported audience members even required medical assistance as a result of the performance, however, representatives of the theatre have since spoken out.
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Naked nuns on rollerskates was almost the least shocking part of Holzinger's Sancta - which says a lot. Add in a wall of crucified naked bodies, fake blood, a lesbian priest saying mass, a real sex act being performed on stage - alongside a sex act involving a crucifix sword and well - if you didn't read about what the opera would entail before buying your ticket, it's not a surprise people got a bit overheated.
While Holzinger's intentions were to dive into kink communities and BDSM culture and parallels to the church opposed to outright disrespecting it, the opera has faced accusations of being sacrilegious and backlash from bishops.
And despite media reports eluding to the nature of the opera being the reason attendees required medical assistance, the opera house has since clarified why several people were taken unwell.
The opera company's spokesperson, Sebastian Ebling, confirmed eight people on Saturday and 10 people on Sunday had to be 'loooked after by [the] visitor service' with three requiring a doctor's attention.
Head of visitor service of the State Theater, Maurus Zinser, also gave a 'quick fact check' on Staatsoper Stuttgart's website, adding further explanation.
While confirming the statistics from over the weekend, he said: [Translation] "Nobody threw up in the opera house over the weekend, as some media have reported, and we also didn't have to administer first aid eighteen times. Somehow, over time, something inaccurate seems to have taken on a life of its own."
He added some people even had to be cared for 'before' the performance had even taken place. But why?
Well, the head of visitor service says there is 'always assistance from the visitor service or doctors' whenever 'a lot of people come together and sit close together'.
He said the opera house actually has to 'call an ambulance once a week for normal performances'.
"The opera house has space for 1,404 people, and every now and then there is someone who hasn't eaten or drunk enough, who finds the air in the auditorium too oppressive and whose circulation collapses," he explained.
Zinser added Sancta also has a run time of two hours and 45 minutes without a break which is a 'particular challenge'.
"And of course things happen here on stage that we are not used to in the opera house. In particular, it is the infliction of a wound on stage, which causes discomfort for some guests.
"Some of the visitors who left the auditorium complained of feeling unwell, and often a sip of water is enough to help. Incidentally, several visitors then returned to the auditorium."
He resolved by advising ticket buyers to pay attention to the 'information on content and sensory stimuli' on the opera house's website and only attend if 'you know what you are letting yourself in for'.
"This evening will definitely be a very different and unusual theater experience!"
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Poppy Bilderbeck