‘One of the Good Ones,’ the wonderful new play by Gloria Calderón Kellett

Emmy-winning Netflix showrunner and co-creator of “One Day at a Time,” Gloria Calderón Kellett has created a new play titled “One of the Good Ones.”

The Pasadena Playhouse will premiere the production on March 13.  Running through April 7, it is the first Latino commission in the Tony Award-winning Playhouse’s 100-year history. 

In this comedy, the "perfect" Latina daughter brings her boyfriend home to meet the parents, and her family's biases and preconceptions are put on full display. The cast of “One of the Good Ones” is led by Lana Parrilla (ABC’s “Once Upon A Time,” “The Lincoln Lawyer”) as Ilana and Carlos Gomez (Broadway’s “In the Heights”) as Enrique, and features Isabella Gomez (Netflix's “One Day at a Time,” “The Goldbergs”) as Yoli, Nico Greetham (Disney’s “Newsies,” “Love, Victor” and “American Horror Story”) as Marcos, and Santino Jimenez (Netflix's “One Day at a Time”) as Pedro.

As tensions run high and hilarity ensues, everyone must navigate the ins and outs of family dynamics and the boundaries of acceptance—all while tackling the age-old question: what does it truly mean to be an American?

Calderón Kellett is an award-winning writer, producer, director and actress. She is the proud daughter of Cuban immigrants. Calderón Kellett graduated from Loyola Marymount University and went on to earn a master’s degree in theater from the University of London. 

She spent her early years as a writer/producer on numerous shows including “Devious Maids” and “How I Met Your Mother.” Her acting credits also include “Jane The Virgin,” “Angie Tribeca,” “Dead To Me” and “Your Place Or Mine.” She also appeared as a narrator on “Drunk History” (New Orleans).

Among Gloria's many achievements are her advocacy for women, the Latino/a/x/e community, and other disenfranchised groups. Her advocacy efforts include being a founding member of the Untitled Latinx Project, a group of Latino showrunners advocating on behalf of the Latino community through initiatives such as Dear Hollywood, which helps studios identify and tell Latino stories.

She is an executive committee member for the Television Academy, and she also assisted Amazon in supporting their inaugural Inclusion Playbook, providing a template for how to make content in an inclusive and responsible way. As an ambassador for the National Women’s History Museum, she is focused on highlighting the countless untold stories of women throughout history.

Calderón Kellett is also an ambassador for the non-profit ReFrame, which celebrates and encourages gender parity in front of and behind the camera and a partner with the Latinx House/Adelante, she supported up-and-coming Latina directors and DPs by having them shadow on the set of “With Love” on Season 2. Alongside the Latino Film Institute, LACollab and Amazon, she also mentors with The Youth Cinema Project to strengthen the Latino pipeline to Hollywood. 

Kimberly Senior, director of this newly produced play, has had award-winning work performed in 15 states and over 200 productions. 

To purchase tickets for Calderón Kellett's new play, visit pasadenaplayhouse.org.

Pasadena’s Playhouse also invites ticket holders on March 13 for the Wine Wednesday performance of “One of the Good Ones,” which will start at 8:00 p.m.

Performance Dates: Wednesday, March 13 to Sunday, April 7

Performance Schedule: Wednesday-Friday evenings at 8:00 p.m.

Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m; Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Location: Pasadena Playhouse, 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101