Experiencing Gloria Calderón Kellett ‘97’s play One of the Good Ones at the Pasadena Playhouse in March was a thrilling and educational experience for myself and the group of LMU students and faculty who attended thanks to the LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts and LMU School of Film and Television. The play, written by Calderón Kellett and directed by Kimberly Senior, was brilliantly funny and thought-provoking. It explored themes such as identity, culture, generational trauma, and what it means to live in the melting pot of America.
Calderón Kellett, an LMU CFA alumna who majored in communication arts and minored in theatre arts, was the executive producer, co-creator, and co-showrunner of Netflix’s One Day at a Time, Amazon Original series With Love, as well as The Horror of Dolores Roach from Blumnation Television and Spotify. Following the performance, our group attended a talk with Calderón Kellett alongside the assistant director, Lauren Johansen ’08, MFA ’22, who is an alumna of the LMU Theatre Arts undergraduate program as well as the MFA in Performance Pedagogy program. They provided insight into the process and development of the show, as well as inspiration and advice for us as students.
One of the Good Ones was commissioned for the Tony Award-winning Pasadena Playhouse and is set in a contemporary Pasadena household, making it even more relevant as an exploration of an environment specific to Los Angeles. Therefore, the Pasadena Playhouse was very fitting as a venue, also given its historical and aesthetic value. The atmosphere of the night was excellent, and the free wine for the 21+ crowd enhanced the close community feel of the event.
All aspects of the show were superb, from the set design, acting, direction, and the script itself. One of the Good Ones tells the story of a Latin American family dinner during which a recent college graduate introduces her Anglo boyfriend to her parents for the first time. The performance received a standing ovation from the entire crowd, including our enthusiastic group of LMU representatives, and we walked out of the theater recounting how much we loved the play. The opportunity to see the play, meet Calderón Kellett, and hear about her creative process was invaluable to us since so many from our group are aspiring creatives. One of the Good Ones was a heartwarming, insightful, and hilarious play that was a wonderful experience, especially for those interested in seeing the exceptional work of our very own alumni.
All photos provided courtesy of Bailey Wertzberger
