The opening night performance of Cleansed at London’s Almeida Theatre saw Sarah Kane’s provocative play live up to its reputation – with one audience member fainting during a graphic scene.

First staged in 1998, Cleansed is one of five plays by the late playwright Kane, who died by suicide in 1999 at the age of 28. It is noteworthy for its visceral violence, prolonged nudity, and dark themes.

Previous productions of the play have drawn similar responses from some theatregoers, with the 2016 version at the National Theatre making headlines thanks to a spate of faintings and walkouts among the crowd.

During Wednesday’s (29 July) press night performance of the play, directed for the Almeida by Rebecca Frecknall, an audience member was seen receiving assistance from staff before being helped from the auditorium.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Almeida told The Independent: “One audience member required assistance during last night's performance of Cleansed. Our Front of House team were on hand to provide care and the audience member was quick to recover.

“We will continue to warn audiences of the content in the production on the Almeida website – here, on the booking page, in pre-visit emails, and on Front of House signage in the theatre.”

The content warning for Cleansed reads: “This production includes prolonged nudity, torture, mutilation, murder, sex, incest, violence including sexual violence, forced eating, suicide including hanging, drug abuse and drugging, gender reassignment surgery as well as homophobic and misogynistic language, needles and blood.”

Cleansed is ostensibly set in a university campus, and follows a sadistic ringleader (played here by Leo Bill) who tortures and abuses a disparate group of outsiders.

Speaking to The Independent earlier this month, Frecknall and Bill were asked about the play’s propensity for causing audience members to faint.

“It’s certainly not the aim,” Frecknall said, “but I don’t think it was [director Katie Mitchell’s] aim when she did it at the National. People have physical reactions to all types of works; it’s just some get reported more than others.”

Bill said he had had “quite a lot” of friends and acquaintances tell him they were “scared” to see the play due to its content.

“It’s like, ‘Well, we could all go and watch a Noël Coward play,’” he said, “And that’s fine – but what world are we in, where we are afraid to be challenged? It all becomes about that, about, like, ‘oh, some hands get chopped off.’ Whereas actually, it’s so beautiful.

“And the beauty in [Cleansed] is so much more important than whether somebody faints or not.”

Cleansed is at the Almeida Theatre until 29 August.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.