A night at the opera conjures images of elegant outfits and spectacular vocals. But at one German opera house, 18 audience members required medical treatment after watching recent performances featuring explicit lesbian sex scenes, piercing, and lots of blood.
The 18 individuals had to be attended by visitor services trained in first aid after feeling sick or dizzy, with some of them falling unconscious after viewing, Sebastian Ebling, spokesman for the Stuttgart State Opera in southwest Germany, told NBC News. Three were taken care of by an an emergency doctor, he added.
The opera, Sancta, premiered at the Mecklenburg state theatre in Schwerin in May. It was based on the controversial 1920s opera Sancta Susanna, whose story follows a nun facing her repressed desires.
The new version of Sancta, directed by Austrian choreographer Florentina Holzinger, shows naked nuns roller-skating on a half-pipe and a wall of crucified unclothed bodies.
Ebling said he was not aware of any of the audience specifically complaining about the performance, but the theatre has received a lot of criticism via social media and e-mail. Most of these critics likely did not see the performance themselves, he said.
He confirmed that the performance included explicit lesbian sexual acts as well as two cases of self-harm, including piercing.