Eighteen audience members needed medical treatment after attending German opera performances that featured sex scenes, naked nuns, and lots of blood, NBC News reported. Many of the affected spectators were treated by visitor services after complaining about feeling sick and dizzy, with some even fainting. A further three required visits to the emergency room. The offending opera, Sancta, has been playing at the Stuttgart State Opera, and is based on another controversial opera from the 1920s about a repressed nun. Not for the faint of heart, the new version includes scenes of nude nuns roller-skating on a half-pipe, a wall of crucified naked bodies, graphic lesbian sex, and self-harm via piercing. A spokesperson for the theater, Sebastian Ebling, said they had warned audiences—who had to be over 18 to get tickets—ahead of time about the opera’s sensitive content. Ebling, who suggested flashing lights during the performances could have contributed to the situation, added that additional performances will go ahead as planned, despite significant criticism over social media and email.
Read it at NBC News
