Eighteen audience members attending Stuttgart’s state opera over the weekend required medical treatment after watching a performance of Sancta by Austrian choreographer Florentina Holzinger. The show, which included live body piercing, unsimulated sexual acts, and a combination of fake and real blood, left several theatregoers severely nauseated.
Opera spokesperson Sebastian Ebling confirmed that eight individuals on Saturday and ten on Sunday were treated by the opera’s visitor service, with a doctor called in to assist in three cases.
Holzinger, 38, is known for her provocative performances that blur the boundaries between dance theatre and vaudeville. Her all-female cast often performs nude, and previous shows have featured extreme acts like live sword-swallowing, tattooing, and action paintings using blood and excrement. Sancta, Holzinger’s first opera, premiered at Mecklenburg state theatre in May and is an interpretation of Paul Hindemith’s controversial 1920s expressionist opera Sancta Susanna.
Hindemith’s original opera tells the story of a young nun who, after becoming aroused by an elder’s tale, steps onto the altar naked, rips the loincloth from Christ’s body, and repents after an encounter with a large spider. Holzinger’s reinterpretation replaced much of the musical performance with shocking imagery, including naked nuns roller-skating on a movable half-pipe, crucified naked bodies, and a lesbian priest performing mass.
Despite its controversial history, this recent staging in Stuttgart has faced intense criticism, similar to Holzinger’s Vienna performance in June, which drew disapproval from bishops in Salzburg and Innsbruck. Holzinger, however, has defended her work, claiming it explores the parallels between conservative religious institutions and BDSM subcultures, rather than mocking the church.
The weekend performances in Stuttgart clearly pushed the boundaries, resulting in a visceral reaction from the audience. Despite the controversy, Holzinger continues to push the limits of artistic expression in her latest operatic venture.
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