The "deepest struggles, incredible obstacles and amazing triumphs" of young women and girls around the globe are at the centre of Emotional Creature, the newest stage production from playwright and activist Eve Ensler.

The Tony Award-winning Ensler, best known for The Vagina Monologues, is raising the curtain on previews for her newest play in New York following a successful run in Berkeley, Calif. The official opening of the off-Broadway show is Nov. 12.

"It's been one of the most really satisfying, beautiful experiences I've ever had developing this show," she told Jian Ghomeshi on CBC's Q cultural affairs show on Friday.

Ensler began working on the production — which incorporates music, dance and video footage — in Johannesburg and continued to develop it in Paris and in Berkeley.

The first day of the show's rehearsals in New York was also the day Pakistani teen activist Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban for speaking out for girls to have access to education.

Ensler has dedicated the production of Emotional Creature to Yousafzai, whose story is "in keeping with the message of what this show is. This is a show for girls to find their voice and find their way and have a vision of the world that is authentic and their own."

Ensler talked to Q about the origins of Emotional Creature, the power of emotion in pushing forward change and why it's fantastic to hear people using the word vagina.