The SAG Foundation and Backstage present Playing House. A screening of Season 2 episodes "Hello Old Friend" and "Sleepless in Pinebrook" followed by a Q&A with Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham.
Moderated by Mark Peikert, Editor-in-Chief, Backstage.
SYNOPSIS
The critically-acclaimed comedy Playing House returns for season two with an innovative windowing structure that, each week, will allow viewers to preview the next week’s episode on their Video-On-Demand platforms. Childhood best friends Maggie Caruso (Lennon Parham) and Emma Crawford (Jessica St. Clair) are in store for one of their biggest adventures yet – raising a baby. This season, Maggie and Emma navigate their way through life as co-parents to Maggie’s daughter, Charlotte. The colorful residents of Pinebrook, Conn., also return, including Emma’s first love, Mark (Keegan Michael Key) and her eccentric mom, Gwen (Jane Kaczmarek). The series is from Universal Cable Productions; in addition to St. Clair and Parham, executive producers include Ravi Nandan of A24 Films (Hesher) and Scot Armstrong of American Work, Inc. (Old School, Hangover 2).
"Hello Old Friend" - Maggie (Lennon Parham), Emma (Jessica St. Clair) and baby Charlotte pose for an awkward family photo and have a surprise run-in with Emma’s old flame Mark (Keegan-Michael Key), his wife Tina (Lindsay Sloane) and their new dog, Renée. Later, Maggie and Emma go on a baby toy rescue mission deep inside enemy territory. Meanwhile, Bruce (Brad Morris) and his mother Mary-Pat (Sandy Martin) prepare a traditional family recipe, the Sauce of the Season. Guest star: Matt Besser
"Sleepless in Pinebrook" - Maggie (Lennon Parham) is visited by The Property Brothers (Drew and Jonathan Scott) who use their skills to make over her body into one of the “hottest properties on the market.” Later, Emma (Jessica St. Clair) creates a Tinder online dating profile for Maggie and sets her up on multiple dates with her matches, including the intriguing musician (Darius Rucker). Meanwhile, Bruce (Brad Morris) and uncle Zach (Zach Woods) spend quality “Dunkle” (Dad + Uncle) time with baby Charlotte. Guest stars: Rich Sommer and Greg Tuculescu
PANELIST BIOS
Jessica St Clair - Actor
In USA’s critically-acclaimed comedy Playing House, Jessica St. Clair (Best Friends Forever) stars as Emma Crawford, a strong-willed, passionate and career driven woman who moves back to her small hometown to help her best friend, Maggie (Lennon Parham, Best Friends Forever), raise her first baby. St. Clair co-stars and co-created the series along with Parham.
A multi-talented actress and writer, she initially gained notoriety performing at the legendary Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York and Los Angeles. St. Clair has appeared in numerous features including, most recently, the critically praised independent films Afternoon Delight and Enough Said. One of her most memorable roles was in the blockbuster hit Bridesmaids in the unforgettable bridal salon food poisoning scene. Other credits include Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator, Wanderlust, She's Out of My League, Life as We Know It and Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration.
In addition, St. Clair and Parham starred in and created Best Friends Forever for NBC in 2012. St. Clair also starred opposite Megan Mullally and Cheryl Hines on In the Motherhood and has guest starred on Veep, Marry Me, The McCarthys, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Weeds, United States of Tara, as well as Parks and Recreation and The Office.
A graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont, St. Clair can also be seen as the spokesperson for the retail chain Marshall's.
She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, playwright Dan O’Brien, daughter Isobel and her rescue miniature schnauzer, Emma.
Lennon Parham - Actor
In USA’s critically-acclaimed comedy Playing House, Lennon Parham (Best Friends Forever) stars as Maggie Caruso, a woman who is determined to create a happy home for her baby, despite recently discovering her husband’s illicit online affair with a muscular German woman. She finds support when her best friend, Emma (Jessica St. Clair, Best Friends Forever), moves in to help her prepare for the birth of her first child. Parham co-stars and co-created the series along with St. Clair.
On television, she was most recently seen in the HBO hit series Veep.
This is the second collaborative series from Parham and her writing partner and co-star, Jessica St. Clair. Their first series, Best Friends Forever, aired in 2012 on NBC. Prior to that, Parham appeared in the cast of Accidentally on Purpose opposite Jenna Elfman. Additionally, she has had memorable guest appearances on critically-acclaimed series including Parks and Recreation,Arrested Development, Mad Men, How I Met Your Mother, Funny or Die Presents (in the recurring Lady Refs) as well as Children's Hospital and NTSF:SD:SUV.
Parham has also appeared in Horrible Bosses 2 and Confessions of a Shopaholic, and the independent films Splinterheads and Hysterical Psycho, a comedy-horror film by Dan Fogler. Her one-woman show, She Tried to Be Normal, ran in NY and LA and was selected for the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival in 2009.
The seeds for Parham's comedy career were sown on the stage of Parkview High School in Lilburn, Georgia. She got her start when she moved to New York and joined the New York offshoot of Chicago's revered comedy institution, The Second City, where she performed in their revue: We Built This City on Rent Control. Her breakout came while she trained at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater both in New York and LA, where she performed in Showgirls: The Best Movie Ever Made. She still appears in the theater's signature A.S.S.S.S.C.A.T. 3000 show as often as her schedule will allow.
A graduate of the University of Evansville in Indiana, Parham taught French for two years in Mississippi with Teach for America before starting her comedy career.
Lennon lives with her husband and daughter in Los Angeles.
