Deadly Dessert Championship Cast

Iman is thrilled to bring the role of Riley to life in Deadly Dessert. Iman loves being a creative woman and has recently starred as The Ball in "The Ball " at Dreams Eclectica. In addition to performing, Iman creates accessible children’s events in conjunction with the Jersey City HDSID and the KUEZ, including children’s theater, character themed events, and community gatherings. She channels her creativity to her book and playwriting. You can check out more of her hot takes in her book “Iman’s Little Blog” available on Amazon. Check out her social media @notimanabdul. She is thankful to friends and family for all their love and support!

Emily is thrilled to be back with WHATCo! Her last show with WHATCo, Annie, was 10 years ago where she played Ms. Hannigan. She is a graduate student at Montclair State University and has been a part of several shows with MSU Players. She is so grateful for the experience to come back to her roots! This performance is dedicated to her dog, River.

is excited to be involved in his fourth performance with WHATCo, having appeared in Almost, Maine, Drop Dead!, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. He is an Emmy-winning former NYC stand up comic who has been working in NJ Community Theater since making his debut in Ghost Train in October of 2021. He’s also received a Perry Award Nomination for his performance as the Narrator in the play Tin Cat Shoes. Arthur wants to thank his beloved wife and son for supporting him in his theater career.

Jae Lynn thrives on being a creative and has done background work in "Mean Girls: The Musical", "Law & Order", and the upcoming Netflix series "Eric". "Deadly Dessert Championship" is her stage debut as Becky! In addition to performing, Jae Lynn has created multiple pieces of artwork that have been displayed with Art Apiary and at the Gateway, both in Newark, NJ. She also works on screen and playwriting. Check out her instagram @thatpricanhippie. She is grateful for family and friends who show their love and continuous motivation.

John is pleased to be returning to WhatCo for his third mystery dinner theater, in addition to playing Inspector Mounds in Drop Dead! He has been active in NJ Community Theatre for almost 20 years producing, directing, and acting in more than 30 productions. His first role came after a call from his wife, “There are no men auditioning for this show”. He was cast, and progressed and now is on the Board at Studio Players in Montclair and Teaneck New Theatre. On the stage, some favorite roles have been Robert in "Boeing Boeing" and Avram in "Fiddler on the Roof" at Theatre League of Clifton; Charlie in "August: Osage County" and Markley in “Radium Girls” at Old Library Theatre; the Emperor in "New Clothes for the Emperor", Krojack in "Don't Drink the Water", and the Magistrate in "Fools" (Perry nomination) at Studio Players; Gage Holland in "Clark Gable Slept Here" at Nutley Little Theatre; and the Snail in “A Year with Frog and Toad” for TNT. Love to talented, beautiful Donna.

Joseph Jones is pleased to make his fourth appearance at West Hudson Theater Company and delighted to be introducing the audience to cruelty-free baked goods. Select other productions include Oliver Rivers in Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic, Iago in Othello, Kitty Meows in Murder Gurl, What a Drag!, Juror # 2 in 12 Angry Jurors, and George Murchison in A Raisin in the Sun. When not indulging his passion for the stage, Joseph can be found lobbying for low-income communities, improving government programs, playing with his cats, or not finishing his novel(s).

Roman is excited to be playing Damien in WhatCo's original murder mystery: Deadly Dessert. He got his start at WhatCo one year ago where he played Chip in Trivia Night Murder. Since then he has taken on the role of the Foley Artist in The Great Gastby Radio Show and will be be making his musical debut as Scott in the upcoming production of D isaster! The Musical. When Roman is not acting, he can be found helping out behind the scenes, costuming for shows like Puffs, And Then There Were None, and You're a Good Man Charlie Brown.

Maggie is thrilled to be back on the Whatco stage! She was previously seen as Hannah and Professor McG in Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic. Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, you can find her teaching at TAL Academy in Rockaway Beach, NY, and by night, she calls Harrison home with her husband (Ashley… stage manager extraordinaire), her dachshund (Chewbacca), her Shih Tzu (Charley), and her Orange Tabby (Rey). She attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts for Drama and has a BA in Drama from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She is excited to be among such talented bakers and judges! Many thanks to Allyssa for giving her the opportunity to play Cora Cork!

This is Lily's second show with WHATCO after working with director Allyssa on their wicked production of Puffs! Lily was recently featured on ABC Nightline for her online content recreating nostalgic scenes, on News 12 Bronx as a princess, and she's partnered with Regal Movies and Lionsgate for fan cosplay events! She loves bringing a bit of her creativity to every show she's a part of. Her favorite baked good is almost any freshly baked cookie, or baklava. And you can catch her again this spring in WHATCO's production of Disaster the musical!

This is Dylan's fourth production with WhatCo, but his first time in a murder mystery. Previously, he played Drools the Butler in Drop Dead, Thisbe in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Wayne Hopkins in Puffs! He will also be playing Professor Ted Scheider in WhatCo's upcoming musical, Disaster!

has been performing since age 6 when she first stepped on stage in a tu-tu and tap shoes. Her most recent credits include : Unlucky Clovers (Amber), Bridesmaid Murder (Fiona ), Trivia Night Murder (Shelby) at WHATCO and Willy Wonka and the Great Glass Elevator ( Lt. Shuckworth) at Studio Players in Montclair. Denise works as an insurance professional and also volunteers for The American Cancer Society in memory of her mother with her fundraising team, Team Daisy Waltrip. She is thankful for the opportunity to perform for you today, and for the creative and social outlet that theatre provides. Her performance is dedicated to her incredible boyfriend Marc, and her amazing son Kody.

Lauren is thrilled to be part of Deadly Dessert Championship! Lauren is a local elementary school teacher. While not working, she thoroughly enjoys following her childhood dream of acting. Lauren was also in Bridesmaid Murder and Trivia Night Murder, and she loves the excitement that murder mystery shows bring! Recent acting credits include: One Act Play Festival (Old Library Theater), Lost in Yonkers (Pioneer Productions), Oct Act Play Jamboree (Stageworks), All My Sons (Star Royale), Trivia Night Murder (WHATCo), The Holi Poly Plays (D.S. Burrows), The Last Pastrami Sandwich (Apricot Sky), LUV: Short Play Festival NYC, Almost Maine (WHATCo), Godspell (West Milford Players), and Twelfth Night (Momenti Productions). Special thanks to everyone involved in this production!

Nelson is proud to be involved in his fourth Murder Mystery Dinner with WhatCo. He's worn various hats throughout, but the best thing about these productions is the people he's met and connected with along the way. Acting in fourth grade broke him out of his shell and has been shaping his life ever since. Thanks for joining me, this visionary writer/director, and this amazing cast on our journey. Enjoy the show!

This is Ed’s 16th WHATCo production. He has worked as Stage Manager (Monster Princess Tales (2019) and Drop Dead (2023), and Puffs (2023). Ed also enjoys acting as well having recently performed in the productions of Almost Maine (Chad), Trivia Night Murder (Dan), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Peter Quince). He’s delighted to be working with the ridiculously talented Director Allyssa Hynes and the wonderful & talented cast. Ed enjoys the diversity of age, culture, and life experience that comes with being involved in WHATCo and community theater and hopes that we can all share the love for creativity that the arts offer.