An explicit opera in Germany is sparking controversy internationally for its combination of lesbian sex with religion, as well as its use of real blood and live piercings.
Sancta by performance artist Florentina Holzinger has been called everything from "scandalous" and "anti-Catholic" to "innovative" and "exuberant joy." Here's all you need to know about the boundary-pushing show.
Sancta features an all-women cast portraying nuns, following its lead Susanna as she discovers her sexuality. The show's description states: "Some aspects of the evening may cause discomfort for certain individuals, and for others, they may even be retraumatizing. The focus of the evening is on spirituality and sexuality, but also on criticism of religion and a critical examination of religious and societal violence."
Photo by Matthias Baus
An early scene depicts Susanna having sex with a crucifix, and a later shows another nun swallowing a crucifix sword. The show also includes Jesus, portrayed by a woman, who sings tracks by Eminem and at one point spanks a half-naked nun.
In one scene, a piece of a performer's flesh is cut and “grilled medium rare," according to local newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, to symbolize the Eucharist, or the body of Christ.
The show is meant for audiences 18 and older, and contains the content warnings: "Sexual acts will take place on stage. Additionally, real blood and stage blood will be shown, as well as piercing procedures and the infliction of a wound. The performance will also feature strobe effects, loud volumes, and incense."
There are also naked roller-skating nuns.
Sancta is based off of Paul Hindemith's early twentieth century opera Sancta Susanna, which featured a similar story about a nun named Susanna giving in to temptation and experimenting sexually.
The show was originally supposed to premiere at the Stuttgart Opera House in Germany in 1921, until it was cancelled for its explicit content, which featured same-sex relations. Sancta performed in the same city of Stuttgart over a century later on October 5.
Photo by Matthias Baus
At least 18 audience members required minor medical treatment after the October 5 and 6 performances of Sancta in Stuttgart, reporting nausea and dizziness, according to opera spokesperson Sebastian Ebling.
“On Saturday we had eight and on Sunday we had 10 people who had to be looked after by our visitor service,” Ebling told told Stuttgarter Zeitung. “We recommend that all audience members once again very carefully read the warnings so they know what to expect. If you have questions, speak to the visitor service. And when in doubt during the performance, it might help to avert your gaze.”
Photo by Matthias Baus
Since its premiere in May, several leaders in the Catholic Church have condemned it, with Archbishop of Salzburg Franz Lackner saying the show is “seriously offensive to believers’ religious feelings and convictions," via the Independent.
Hermann Glettler, Bishop of Innsbruck, said: “It is a disrespectful parody of the Holy Mass, which is the heart of the faith, and not only in the Catholic understanding."
Photo by Matthias Baus
The explicit content, church condemnation, and news stories about ill viewers have seemingly not deterred audience members — all of Sancta's remaining shows are currently sold out. Theater officials have also not signaled intent to cancel the show over its explicit content, which they would have needed to agree to initially in order to produce it.
Photo by Matthias Baus
Sancta's artistic director Viktor Schoner stated in the show's description that "exploring boundaries and crossing them with relish has always been a central task of art."
"I am looking forward to working with Florentina Holzinger, her team and above all with you, Stuttgart's legendarily experimental audience, to leave our own comfort zone and ideally expand it," Schoner said.
The website also includes a section clarifying some of the explicit content, reading: "Of course, theater and opera merely imitate reality: when people love, suffer and die on the opera stage, it's all just an act. The situation has been different in performance art for decades: Here the performer does not embody a character, here the body itself is the medium - and in Florentina Holzinger's works in particular, natural nudity is a central means of expression."
