If you're anything like me, I’m guessing you’ve never given much thought to what life is like inside a women’s prison.

Rona Munro’s Iron, though, provides a powerful and poignant snapshot into life inside, with a surprising amount of humour along the way.

Fay (Elizabeth Marsh) is serving life for killing her husband.

When her estranged daughter pays an unexpected visit, it kick starts a thought-provoking exploration of life on the inside.

The intimate setting of the theatre’s studio brings the audience close to the action and the monotony and routine of life behind bars is evident before the show starts, as audience members arrive to find Fay already in her cell.

Marsh and Helen Macfarlane, playing daughter Josie who wants nothing more than to help her mother, are believable.

They are supported by Rebecca Carrie and Roger Delves-Broughton as prison wardens Sheila and George, who might not be as different from their inmates as they choose to believe.

The majority of the show takes the form of visiting time conversations but though it may not be heavy on action, it is deep in thought-provoking content, highlighting the isolation of prison life and the number of things many of us take for granted that are so far out of reach for those who have no hope beyond the prison walls.

But it’s not all doom and gloom, as Fay keeps her humour at the ready to provide plenty of laughs along the way.

With many women in prisons affected by mental health problems and self-harm, you’ll have to watch Iron for yourself to see if Fay manages to avoid them as she battles with her past and her future.

Iron runs until November 4.

SARAH MOORE