Script Change Leads To Italian Actor Raphael Schumacher In A Coma After Hanging Scene Goes Wrong

UPDATE: Feb. 5th 10:15 am/ET - CNN reports that Italian actor Raphael Schumacher has been declared clinically dead after he was strangled in a stage hanging scene that went horribly wrong.

The site reports that the 27-year-old's family has authorized the harvesting of his organs. A spokesperson at Cisanello Hospital in Pisa told CNN today that doctors have begun the procedure.

As previously reported, Italian police have initiated an investigation into the incident to determine whether proper safety procedures were in place. According to Italian news agency ANSA, four people are under investigation for manslaughter in the actor's death.

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It's the kind of tragedy that's usually reserved for fictitious murder mysteries but most audience members didn't realize they were witnessing a horrific, all too real scene at Italy's Lux Theatro of Pisa yesterday, when 27-year-old actor Raphael Schumacher went into a coma during a hanging scene in a play called MIRAGES.

As reported by Il Giorno, the environmental play's six scenes were played in different sections of the venue, with one patron at a time walking to each and interacting with the actors. The incident occurred at the evening's second performance.

According to theatre managers Andrea Vescio and Gabriele De Luca, the scene Schumacher was performing in was scripted to include a gun, but the actor made a change without telling them.

"I understood immediately that something was wrong," said the unnamed audience member, believed to be a medical student, who discovered the scene to be real.

Though the actor's head was covered, the audience member was concerned about the movement of his body.

"That tremor could not be fake."

A police investigation has sealed off the theatre, with cast and audience members being interviewed. There is conflicting evidence about the safety measures used to protect the actor.

Though Schumacher has been described as "a very passionate guy, full of talent," some have noted that he had lost his father a year ago and had recently been left by his girlfriend.

The actor currently remains hospitalized in a coma.

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