There are playwrights who approach dark cultural obsessions with clinical detachment, and then there are artists who dive straight into the shadowed corners of modern myth with warmth, audacity, and sharp wit.

At a special developmental reading and conversation held in the intimate setting of Manhattan’s historic The Drama Book Shop, audiences and fellow theater makers gathered to celebrate playwright Tori Keenan-Zelt and her provocative newly published drama, The JonBenét Game. Blending true-crime fascination, theatrical daring, and an unfiltered look into the volatile psyche of adolescent girlhood, the evening proved to be an electrifying collision of forms.

Dangerous Territory, Guided by Humor

Keenan-Zelt’s narrative uses the ubiquitous shadow of a real-life tabloid tragedy to unearth deeper cultural anxieties around media consumption, innocence, and vulnerability. Rather than relying on standard sensationalism, the play dismantles how young women navigate peril and performance.

“Keenan-Zelt is a thoughtful, powerful voice well-attuned to theatrical forms, able to guide audiences through dangerous territory with humor and sharp insight,” observed playwright Dean Poynor.

That duality—balancing disarming levity with chilling cultural truths—resonated across the room. “Tori Keenan-Zelt is full of joy, curiosity, vulnerability and warmth, even when discussing some of the darkest corners of the human experience,” remarked JC Cassis of the RISK! Podcast. “Her audience loved getting a chance to ponder the many layers of The JonBenét Game with her. It was a great evening of drama and conversation about how Keenan-Zelt’s new work explores themes we all think about or experience in a world that doesn’t always want to face them.”

True Crime Meets Living Theater

For an audience drawn from across the New York theatrical landscape, the event pulled back the curtain on the alchemy of turning cultural obsession into dramatic literature.

“The event was so much fun, true crime x theater + a behind the curtain process sneak peek,” noted librettist and playwright Ella Rose Chary.

The Drama Book Shop provided the ideal, storied backdrop for an unvarnished artistic exchange. As another attendee noted: “Awesome time getting up close and personal with a playwright and their work. DBS loves writers—the reading and conversation showcased an artist in top form.”

Bringing the Infinitesimal to Life

The dramatic centerpiece of the salon was a searing excerpt performance featuring actors Molly Carden and Keilly McQuail, whose dynamic reading brought the psychological tensions of the script into sharp relief.

Actor Lilli Stein captured the visceral impact of both the performance and the setting:

“A delightfully curated evening with an excellently performed excerpt, thoughtful questions from interviewer and audience, set in the very cozy space that is The Drama Book Shop—what a great way to be introduced to a playwright’s newly published work! I’m happy to live in a city where I can hop on a train and go experience such artful events!

The summary of The JonBenét Game is a well-enough baited fishhook, but the excerpt read by Molly Carden and Keilly McQuail deepened the tantalization with humor, terror, and the infinitesimal weirdness of girlhood.”

Through rapid-fire dialogue, dark humor, and acute psychological observation, Carden and McQuail demonstrated how Keenan-Zelt transforms tabloid sensationalism into a study of fear, ritual, and societal conditioning.

Production & Publication Footnote

• Work: The JonBenét Game
• Playwright: Tori Keenan-Zelt
• Featured Readers: Molly Carden and Keilly McQuail
• Venue Host: The Drama Book Shop, New York City
• Status: Newly published script and active development presentation