Staff photo / Andy Gray
From left, Dakota Smith, McKenna Lago, Kat Fitzgerald, Harmon Andrews, Jose Garcia and Gwen Baker are shown in a scene from the musical “Spring Awakening,” which opens tonight at Kent State University at Trumbull.

Paul Dahman first saw the musical “Spring Awakening” when he was a student at Otterbein University.

“I love the themes of it, of pushing back against authority,” he said. “Questions are OK. It’s important to question things and not be afraid to ask what more or why? I always think of it as almost a protest show. Change is inevitable. It’s going to happen. It may take a while, but that change will come.”

Dahman appeared in Kent State University at Trumbull Summer Stock’s production of “American Idiot,” and his wife Makenna Liller Dahman choreographed that show and “Legally Blonde: The Musical” there last fall.

“We liked the space, we liked the environment, the people, so we decided to submit ‘Spring Awakening’ as a show for this season,” he said.

It opens tonight for an eight-performance run.

The Steven Sater-Duncan Sheik musical, which won 8 Tony Awards including best musical in 2007, is based on a play written by Frank Wedekind in the 1890s about German teens discovering their sexuality without the information or understanding to realize the consequences of their actions.

Parents, in an effort to shelter and protect, leave them ill-equipped to deal with the realities of their lives and emotions.

It’s a show about teenagers that deals frankly with sexuality, masturbation, sexual assault, suicide and other topics that may make some viewers uncomfortable.

“There are a lot of trigger warnings with this show,” Dahman said.

The subject matter demands delicate handling and creating a safe working environment for the actors. Dahman restricted casting to performers ages 18 and older, and the production used two intimacy choreographers, Rachel Franek (who also is stage manager) and Jess Brumfield (who was intimacy coordinator on “American Idiot”).

“We are so, so grateful to have Rachel Franek,” Liller Dahman said. “She’s done different shows, and she has done costumes and stage management, but she also really, really prioritizes intimacy. From the beginning, she has made sure that everybody was on the same page and everybody felt safe and comfortable, because she has taken courses and classes and she’s really done a lot of work and due diligence when it comes to those more serious topics.”

Dahman wanted to take a different approach to the material compared to how it was staged on Broadway and most subsequent presentations. On Broadway the songs were performed almost as if it’s a concert with the actors using handheld microphones and singing directly to the audience.

“I wanted to dive a little bit more deeper into the characters and let people move around the stage a little bit more than maybe in the past,” he said.

That same philosophy extended to the choreography.

“I think a lot of the themes that are presented throughout the course of the show really tie into movement,” Liller Dahman said. “It’s teenagers. They’re figuring out their bodies. I’ve been dancing my whole entire life, and it has really been a tool for me, whether it’s exploring my emotions or just as you get older and your body is changing.

“I really wanted to work in that theme with the cast. I really wanted it to be more like, ‘This is your story and your character’s story. How would they explore movement?,’ while also taking into consideration what they’re going through in their personal life. I really wanted it to be more about the emotion and how that can be portrayed through choreography, instead of just dance movement.”

The cast includes Carly DelliQuadri, Emily Slusarz, Hannah Misko, Krista Bailes, Katie Kurdziel, Jojo Garcia, Dana Brown, Dakota Smith, Gwen Baker, Harmon Andrews, McKenna Lago, Kat Fitzgerald, Jose Garcia, Steve Brown, John Morris, Paul Dahman, Megan Delaney and Jonathan Bahrey.

The performers will be backed by a five-piece band led by music director Clay Colley from the band Black Wolf & the Thief.

“I’ve known Clay since high school,” Dahman said. “He was a year or two above me, so I’ve heard him play for years. His way to music is direct and his energy for this show is relaxed — ‘We’re going to work on it. We’ll get it. Let’s just have fun. That’s what we’re here to do.’ So it worked out for the best. It’s a no brainer.”

If you go …

WHAT: “Spring Awakening”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 23

WHERE: Kent State University at Trumbull, 4314 Mahoning Ave. NW, Champion.

HOW MUCH: Tickets are $25 for adults, $23 for students and senior citizens and $21 for children ages 12 and younger and free for Kent students and faculty. They are available online at www.kent.edu/trumbull/

theatre and by calling 330-675-8887.