Ladyfolk Rising

For Wilmington-born actor, comedian, and playwright JESSLYN WILSON, the path to writing her first full-length play has been anything but linear. It has been shaped by theater, improv, unexpected friendships, and a growing sense of responsibility to tell stories that matter.  

Now, she and her creative partner MEGHAN COOK are preparing to bring their new play Hysteria to the stage through their company, Ladyfolk Productions – a project that has become both a love letter to womanhood and a testament to the power of community. 

“I’ve always done theater,” Wilson says, recalling her years at Laney High School and later Appalachian State University, where she earned her theater degree. After college, she bounced between Disney World, Asheville, and eventually back home to Wilmington during the pandemic. It was while working at Cape Fear Games that she met Cook – an encounter that would change the trajectory of her creative life. 

The two quickly discovered a shared comedic language. They joined improv and sketch groups, taught comedy classes to students of all ages, and found themselves writing together constantly. Their bond deepened through laughter, shared ambition, and a mutual desire to create something more meaningful than sketches. “I think I’m my best writer when I’m working with her as a partner,” Cook says. 

The idea for Hysteria emerged after Roe v. Wade was overturned and the broader political climate pushed the pair toward a story centered on women – one that could be both funny and deeply resonant. “It feels small to be a woman right now and it shouldn’t feel that way,” Wilson says. 

A bizarre book Cook found at Goodwill – For Young Women Only, filled with harmful advice for teenage girls – became an early catalyst. But as they tried weaving the book’s authors into the play, they realized the story needed to be something else. “This is supposed to be a play about the joy of womanhood, a really sweet love letter,” Wilson says. 

Their comedy background helped them approach heavy themes – witch trials, medical misogyny, and the erasure of women’s experiences – with levity and humanity. Wilson dove into research, reading five books on witch trials alone. She wanted audiences to feel the reality behind the history. “These were real people that had depth, emotion. How do we show them without people being horrified? We make them sock puppets,” she says, adding that sock puppets do indeed make a cameo in the production. 

Ladyfolk Productions began almost accidentally. After creating a short film for Cucalorus, the festival asked for their production name – and the rest followed. What started as a label became a community hub. “We should do more with this,” Wilson recalls thinking. Soon, they were teaching workshops, mentoring new comedians, and building a space where people felt welcome and supported. 

They often worked on the screenplay in local breweries and coffee shops, where regulars would ask about their project. Some of those strangers eventually helped organize a fundraiser in February at Dead Crow Comedy Room. “There’s something really beautiful about people getting excited for us and art in general,” Wilson says. 

The fundraiser featured standup comedy and a silent auction, which included framed poetry from Wilson and Cook’s teenage journals that fetched $100 each. The effort raised significant support for a full-scale production of Hysteria.  

“It’s hard to ask for help and everybody has been so generous,” Wilson says. “Seeing all these people from different pockets of our life come together because they love us and they are genuinely excited for what we’re making was really overwhelming in the best way possible.”  

A recent grant from the Wilmington Arts Council added momentum – and legitimacy. “Being able to say that we are grant funded has given us an extra seal of approval on it,” Wilson says. 

Hysteria is complete after two years of writing, table reads, feedback, and edits. This month, the pair will debut a scene for a staged reading at the Mouths of Babes Theatre Company’s annual festival, Scotopia, followed by a full stage reading this spring. Their goal is to mount a full production in late summer or early fall at Thalian Hall. 

Fundraising continues as Wilson and Cook are committed to paying every actor and artist involved. “There is a world in which we do a threadbare budget, stage it, and people volunteer their time and talent for our play,” Cook says. “We’ve worked for free through the years. It’s important for us to make sure that everyone is compensated.” 

As they look ahead, Wilson and Cook feel the momentum building. “I’m excited and none of it feels real,” Wilson says. 

“I think that this,” Cook says, “is just the beginning of a beautiful, long career together as writing partners.” 

To view more of photographer Madeline Gray’s work, go to madelinegrayphoto.com.

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