Meet the Talent of Act4Mystery

Act4Mystery is lucky to have an amazing and talented troupe of actors, some who have been with us since day one - March 15, 2003! Read about them below. And if you're local to Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Pensacola, Navarre, etc. etc. and are interested in joining the troupe, please call, email or message and we'll go from there! We're always looking for new talent!

CYNTHIA BERGQUIST

Cynthia is a mother of two who lives and works in Ft. Walton Beach. She appeared in the Stage Crafter's presentation of Sylvia, has worked backstage for the Performing Arts Center, and has been performing with Act4Mystery since 2004.

HEIDI BEST-SWIFT

Heidi is a mother of two who lives and works in Navarre. She came to an Act4Mystery presentation in 2008 and decided she wanted to be a part of it. A hard-charging real estate agent by day, she is a natural performer and always "sells" her character to our guests!

JOE CHASE

Joe is retired from the Air Force and teaches the GED program at Northwest Florida State College. Joe's theater experience began in college with parts in Lil Abner and Becket. During his two tours at Eglin AFB, Joe played roles in The Boyfriend, Arsenic and Old Lace, Damn Yankees, and Bell, Book and Candle. Joe joined Act4Mystery in 2024, and is also a major performer for the drama team at his church.

JIM DOWNUM

Jim is a versatile and talented actor who, since 2003, has been a real asset to Act4Mystery. He has wowed us in BEDLAM IN CABIN B, MURDER BY MERLOT, PEACE, LOVE AND MURDER... well, the list goes on and on!

MICHELE EDGE

Originally hailing from Arkansas, Michele has been an educator, an actress, and a vocalist on the Gulf Coast for 30 years, appearing in productions at many local venues. Michele has also served as a volunteer and board member for the Stamped LGBT Film Festival, as well as being lucky enough to be part of a few local film productions. She joined Act4Mystery in 2024 and her talent and comedic timing is already legendary!

BILL HEMBREE

Bill is a loving husband and father of two adult daughters. He is new to Act4Mystery, but no stranger to acting. He hails from Michigan where he was active in community theater, playing Harry Bright in Mamma Mia, Bamatabois in Le Miz, and The Black Knight in Spamalot, just to name a few. He is elated to have been given another opportunity to take the "stage" and entertain people here in Northwest Florida!

PAULA HILTON - Founder, Director, Producer,
Writer, Actress & Stage Manager

Paula is the founder of Act4Mystery. After moving to NW Florida from California in 2002, she founded Act4Mystery with three plays she had already written and a dream. She wanted to start her own performance troupe performing her own, original murder mysteries for dinner theater. Since then, she has written 35 more and just completed "Knock 'Em Off" in October of 2025. And Act4Mystery has performed for thousands and thousands of guests all over the Emerald Coast. Paula directs and produces all plays, and acts in several of them. In her spare time (hahahahaha!!!!) she loves to bedazzle things, sing (and has been honored to sing the National Anthem for many military retirement ceremonies), read and garden, and is a Do-It-Yourselfer with great intentions!

In her previous life in California, Paula performed as the featured vocalist in both a rhythm and blues band and Big Band Orchestra, co-authored a book ("When Romeo Wrote Juliette"), owned and produced artistic bird houses for her small business, It's Not A Pot, performed in roles ranging from the chorus line in A Chorus Line to Sandy in Grease and Trudy in Steel Magnolias, tap-danced competitively, and overall, kept pretty darned busy. No need for any of that now - Act4Mystery keeps her busier than ever before!

HAILY JOENS

Haily is thrilled to be a part of Act4Mystery! A lifelong lover of the stage, she brings a mix of sass, heart and humor to every performance. Offstage, Haily runs her own "cupcakery," where she crafts cupcakes and custom cakes with as much flair as she brings to her characters. She loves Jesus, her husband, and her three children. Haily believes every role should be like a great dessert - savored and leave you smiling long after it's finished!

JESSIKA KELSH

Jessika graduated from Northwest Florida with her nursing degree, and immediately accepted a position as an RN at a premier assisted living establishment in Niceville. Her tough schedule on the front line prevents her from performing, but she still helps out founder Paula (her Mom!) every chance she can managing shows and helping with choreography.

ROCHELLE KIMBALL - Choreographer

Rochelle is a fantastic dancer who also happens to excel as a Business Development Manager. She lives in Fort Walton Beach with her husband and children. Rochelle is the choreographer for Act4Mystery and has choreographed dance routines for all shows needing that "special something" to bring the death scene to life! And she really brings it, because as it turns out, all the actors are actually afraid of her (even her mother, founder Paula Hilton!) so they all work especially hard to bring justice to Rochelle's talented choreography!

CHRISTOPHER MANSON

During his youth, Christopher performed stand-up comedy, published his own humor magazine, won several "Addy" awards for print and radio advertising, and had his tender mind warped by MAD Magazine, NATIONAL LAMPOON, and SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. He is an award-winning journalist, cartoonist and actor who has written for MAD, ROCK & RAP CONFIDENTIAL, WEEKLY HUMORIST, Humoroutcasts.com, THE THIRTY-A REVIEW, POINTS IN CASE, CHORTLE, FORT WALTON BEACH LIFE and DESTIN LIFE. For 12 years, he served as Editor of the Northwest Florida-based tabloid THE BEACHCOMBER. Christopher's greatest claims to fame are making Jerry Lewis laugh, interviewing Stephen King, and blocking Jim Carrey's eyeline during the filming of THE TRUMAN SHOW in Seaside, Florida.

LAURIE McCRORY

Laurie joined ActMystery to return to what she loves doing the best - acting! Her experience in Performance Arts began at the age of 18 as a dancer at the Walt Disney World theme parks. Since then, she has danced and acted in commercials, television, movies, industrial films, and on stage. She is currently the owner of Dance Academy of Santa Rosa. To read Laurie's full biography, CLICK HERE.

MAC McCRORY

Originally from Pace Florida, Mac McCrory began his acting career in the Orlando area where he met his wife Laurie and had their daughter Donnelle who now attends UCF. For many years, Mac played a gangster server that was a main part of the dinner theatre show "Capones" located in Kissimmee, Fl where he also filled in for the lead role of Detective Marvel when needed. Mac can be seen in many independent films with titles including: The Brothers, Stealing Diane, Spacey Brothers, Tell Tale Heart and Blood Brothers. His commercial credits include: Universal studios, Hard Rock Café, Finish Line Sports, Rooms To Go as well as Pleasure Island. Mac now runs his decorative concrete company CONCRETE COWBOYS, INC in Milton Fl and is excited to hit the "stage" once again as a part of the ACT4Mystery theatre crew!

MARY ANN TROIANO

Mary Ann remembers role-playing in front of her mirror at home and directing her friends in imaginary stories and shows at the ripe old age of 2. She eventually turned her dream into reality, beginning with the role of Steffy in I Ought to be in Pictures at OWC, moving on to Mariette in The Dinner Party, and playing the Duchess of York at OWC. She joined Act4Mystery since 2007, bringing dozens of characters to light in a way that only she can!

MATT WILLIAMS

Matt is a registered nurse by day and an aspiring actor by night. He lives in Niceville with his wife and children. He was raised around a real cast of characters growing up on the Mississippi coast. He draws his acting inspiration from the classic physical comedy actors. In his spare time he is a Cub Scout Leader.

SALLY WHITESELL

Sally has her own training and consulting company and teaches yoga at Bluewater Fitness Center. She is originally from Indiana but now enjoys life in Niceville with her husband Steve and dog Tele. Sally has appeared in many local and national television commercials and training videos and has worked on two major films. She hosted over 60 commercially produced music video programs called The Jazz Box, interviewed successful CEOs on Success Stories and performed improv at The Comedy Warehouse.

KAY YARBROUGH

As a theater major at Auburn University, Kay was involved in several productions onstage and behind the scenes including Celebration, Picnic and A Man for All Seasons. She has performed in community theater in Georgia and Florida in productions of The Miracle Worker, Death Trap and No Sex Please, We're British, as well as several television commercials. Her performances are dedicated to her late father who said she would never make a dime acting. Kay was in Act4Mystery's first production in 2003 and has performed every year since!