The Plaza Classic Podcast

Extreme Makeover: Plaza Theatre Edition

If you've ever watched a building renovation show, you know there's a whole lot of work to rehabilitate an old structure to its original glory.
That same labor intensive effort went into the restoration of the Plaza Theatre in Downtown El Paso.
Gary Williams, the Vice President of Programs for the El Paso Community Foundation, and Neal Vogel, the Principal of Restoric, LLC in Chicago, join Lisa and Stephanie in the studio to talk about that work.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival is July 17-27, 2025.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a production of the El Paso Community Foundation and is recorded on the El Paso Community College campus.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.

The Film Festival's "Star Handler"

She's the "Star Whisperer of El Paso!"
For the last decade or so, Kathrin Berg has taken on the task of touring El Paso with the Plaza Classic Film Festival's special guests -- from Sam Elliott, to Kathleen Turner, to Al Pacino.
Now, Kathrin is in the spotlight and getting the red carpet treatment she deserves!
Hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott (no relation to Sam) chat with Kathrin, the El Paso Community Foundation's Executive Vice President, about her most memorable moments with some remarkable Hollywood stars.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival is July 17-27, 2025.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a production of the El Paso Community Foundation and is recorded on the El Paso Community College campus.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.

Classic Rom-Coms for Valentine's Day!

Chance meetings, heartbreaking obstacles and big gestures of love are all crucial to the plots of our favorite romantic comedies.
On the eve of this lover's holiday, podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle are joined by Erin Ritter, fellow Plaza Classic Film Festival advisory committee member and self-proclaimed Rom-Com guru, to discuss romantic comedies over the decades and their place in the film fest.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a production of the El Paso Community Foundation and recorded at El Paso Community College.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.

Guest: Evan Vourazeris of "Ozark"

Evan George Vourazeris broke into Hollywood when he was cast as Tuck on the hit Netflix show Ozark. Tuck became a fan favorite, and Vourazeris appeared on the show in its final season in 2022.
Vourazeris, a Houstonian, now calls El Paso home. He joined Plaza Classic Podcast hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott in studio to talk about his experience on the Ozark set, his future work goals, and his philanthropic efforts in the Sun City.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a coproduction of the El Paso Community Foundation and El Paso Community College.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.

Movies Marking Milestones

If you were old enough to see Jaws when it premiered in theaters in 1975, then you likely don't want to be reminded that happened 50 years ago.
Sorry.
But Jaws, which has been screened three times at the Plaza Classic Film Festival, is just one of many movies celebrating significant anniversaries of release in 2025.
Festival advisory committee member Jaime Mendez joins podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle to travel down cinema's memory lane and highlight which ones have been (and should be!) shown during the world's largest classic film fest.
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a production of the El Paso Community Foundation and is recorded on the El Paso Community College campus.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.

The Plaza Classic Podcast Pt. III

Sequels can get a bad rap for not living up to the expectations set by the original.
With that perspective front of mind, the Plaza Classic Podcast aims to make season 3 better than before!
Hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott are joined by fellow Plaza Classic Film Festival advisory committee member Craig Holden to talk about film sequels.
Which sequels live up to expectations? And is Grease 2 simply underappreciated, like Lisa claims?
The Plaza Classic Podcast is a production of the El Paso Community Foundation and is recorded on the El Paso Community College campus.
Check out this week's show notes here.
Learn more about the Plaza Classic Film Festival here.

Oscar nom predictions with Felipa Solis

Will Wicked sweep the Oscars with a witch's broom?
Could Demi Moore's substantive performance in The Substance earn her an Academy Award nomination for the first time?
El Paso's favorite film critic, Felipa Solis, joins hosts Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott to talk all things Oscars. Solis is a member of the Critics Choice Association.
Get your popcorn ready, as Solis lays out a list of potential Best Picture nominations!
The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation with support from El Paso Community College.
Free Holiday Movies at Winterfest, presented by the El Paso Community Foundation, will be shown at the Plaza Theatre and the El Paso Museum of Art until Jan. 5.
Read about the Plaza Classic Film Festival.
Check out more show notes on this episode.

Holiday Scamps

Holiday Movies at Winterfest are taking over Downtown El Paso until Jan. 5, and they're all free!
The mini film fest is presented by the El Paso Community Foundation Plaza Classic Film Festival, El Paso Live, and the City of El Paso.
What's your favorite holiday movie? Chances are, it features a lovable scamp, like Buddy the Elf or Kevin McAllister.
Rebecca Mendez - a member of the Plaza Classic Film Festival advisory committee and the United Way of El Paso's Philanthropy and Relations Manager - joins Lisa and Stephanie to talk about our go-to holiday films.
The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation with support from El Paso Community College.
Read about the Plaza Classic Film Festival.
Check out the show notes on this episode.
Contribute to the EPCF's Season of Giving.

Journalism drama

The time between Spooky Season and the Holiday Season is the Serious Season - for movies, that is.
November is when we typically see a roll-out of heavier films that go on to become contenders for Academy Awards (a.k.a., future classics to be screened at the Plaza Classic Film Festival).
Nov. 27, 2024 marks the 48th anniversary of the release of Network; it's unremarkable, yes, but what better reason to talk about one of the most prescient films of the 20th century? It's also a great take on "journalism drama."
Joining podcast hosts Lisa Elliott and Stephanie Valle is Doug Pullen, the program director for the El Paso Community Foundation and the Plaza Classic Film Festival artistic director. He's also a former news reporter, and he is "mad as hell" about film portrayals of newsrooms.
The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation with support from El Paso Community College.
Read about the Plaza Classic Film Festival.
Check out the show notes on this episode.

Crazy for Swayze

Patrick Swayze became a heartthrob in the 1980s, and broke hearts when he died at age 57 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.
The star of Dirty Dancing and Ghost has been gone for 15 years, but Stephanie Valle and Lisa Elliott are doing everything they can to preserve his legacy by advocating for the screening of as much of his filmography as possible during the Plaza Classic Film Festival.
Festival advisory committee member Erin Ritter joins the Swayze Fan Club's El Paso Chapter to talk about the movie star and their favorite films.
November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and Nov. 21 is World Pancreatic Cancer Day.
Learn about diagnosis, prevention and treatment.
The podcast is brought to you by the El Paso Community Foundation with support from El Paso Community College.
Read about the Plaza Classic Film Festival.
Check out the show notes on this episode.