Although Sex Week won’t be starting until April, students can get a preview of what’s to come with this weekend’s production of “Spring Awakening.”

At the first event of Sex Week, students will be able to see a staged reading of the Tony Award winning Broadway rock musical in the Carousel Theatre at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

“Spring Awakening” explores the negatives and positives of sexual discovery. Based off a 19th century German play with the same name, the musical looks at topics such as abortion, homosexuality, puberty, rape and pregnancy, as a group of teenagers begin to discover their sexuality. The music combines elements of alternative and folk-infused rock.

Jacob Clark, a junior in College Scholars, helped coordinate the event. He said that although the musical could be grim at times, its overall message is a positive one.

“The main message, as dark as the play can be and as sad as parts are, it’s very positive,” Clark explained. “ … The end is very positive. It embraces sexual expression, but it makes sure that you need to know to do it safely and realize what you’re doing.”

The performance will be a staged reading, so there won’t be elaborate sets or costume changes. However, the musical’s message will still be prominently featured and have an impact. The play will feature UT students, local musicians and other performers, as well as Terry Silver-Alford, a music theatre lecturer, directing the music.

The staged reading will be free and open to the public. Seating is general admission.

“Spring Awakening” is the first event of Sex Week, a week-long program in April that will feature dozens of events and speakers discussing a variety of topics on sexuality. Both events are coordinated by the student group Sexual Empowerment and Awareness at Tennessee, or simply, SEAT.

Clark and Brianna Rader, also a junior in College Scholars, founded SEAT back in August. The two wanted to do a Sex Week at UT after seeing the program’s success at other universities such as Yale and Harvard.

It started when Rader, then a member of Issues Committee, hosted speaker Megan Andelloux to UT back in March 2012. Andelloux is a renowned speaker on sexuality issues who frequents college campuses. The event’s success prompted Rader to work with Clark on expanding the discussion on sex at UT for a full week.

“The speaker came, it was a fairly good crowd, it was very successful, the students loved it, so I was like, ‘Okay, we should expand this idea,’” Rader recalled. “So I approached Jacob … and that’s when we decided to go through with the idea.”

The two created SEAT after realizing they needed to be members of a student group in order to coordinate an event on UT campus.

“Sex Week is our main function,” Clark said. “SEAT’s main goal is to put on Sex Week.”

He added that in the future, SEAT plans on doing more than just Sex Week, such as working in partnership with other student groups who put on events in line with SEAT’s goal of sexual education and discussion.

Some of the events of Sex Week include a return of speaker Andelloux, discussion about virginity and transgender issues, free HIV testing, a panel on the law and sexuality and a discussion on how to talk to your doctor about sex.

After months of planning, Sex Week is set to kick off on April 5. Clark said that SEAT had originally hoped to present “Spring Awakening” closer to the start of Sex Week, but logistically it didn’t work out.

“We really wanted it to be on campus,” Clark explained. “It’s difficult for people to go off campus a lot of the times. But we were able to get the Carousel Theatre on this weekend, so we took the option.”

Clark said that SEAT will use “Spring Awakening” in part as a promotional event for Sex Week, providing information on everything to come.

“Our goal is to start a discussion — an open dialogue — and change the culture a bit,” Clark said. “ … That means making a place for everybody, no matter where they lie on the spectrum of beliefs …

“The idea is that someone who is terrified of sex can go to an event that talks about sex very openly and explicitly and they’ll feel comfortable being there.”

Those interested can see the full schedule for UT’s Sex Week at http://sexweekut.org/schedule/.