THE JONBENET GAME Comes to the Unicorn Theatre Next Week

Unicorn Theatre will continue its tradition of producing bold, contemporary plays with The JonBenét Game by Tori Keenan-Zelt, directed by Ernie Nolan. This National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere runs October 15 – November 2, 2025 on the Jerome Stage.

When best friends Molly and Rae were 12 years old, they secretly played JonBenét Ramsey at sleepovers. Twenty years later, Molly's sudden death leaves her daughter Hazel in search of answers. When Hazel shows up in Rae's guidance office with the girls' old playbook, the lines between past and present blur. What begins as a game becomes a haunting exploration of grief, fear, and the lasting grip of true crime on the female imagination.

The JonBenét Game has been described by early audiences and reviewers as “dark, twisty, and impossible to look away from,” a play that “lives in the delicate, dangerous, and often grey space that true crime opens up.” Keenan-Zelt has crafted a suspenseful and intimate story that asks: How do we grieve? How do we heal? When do we grow up?

This production is part of the National New Play Network's Rolling World Premiere program, which supports new works by producing them at multiple theatres across the country. The first premiere was in Indianapolis earlier this year.