“Variations,” a new play written by Northern Illinois University student Becca Pearce, directed by NIU student William Burdin and featuring music composed by NIU student Brian Wach, will play at NIU’s Third Onion at 10 p.m. today through Saturday in the Stevens Building Corner Theatre.

“Variations” is a play about a modern-day composer who struggles to write his latest work while he balances his relationships with his sister, his neighbor and his muse. As he attempts to deal with his past and with new changes to his world, he starts to lose his grip on reality.

This work poses questions that have no easy answers: What is the line between creative genius and insanity? What does it mean to be an artist? Can we ever truly forget those that we love?