LETOUR was established in the Fall 2014 at Community Christian School in Tallahassee, FL. LETOUR is a primarily high school performing arts ensemble comprised of singers, dancers, actors, spoken word artists, visual artists, photographers, videographers, instrumentalists, and those with a desire for the technical arts. LETOUR focuses on creating art that poses questions, revealing the deep pain and joy that drives our longing for a hope and purpose greater than ourselves. Our primary goal is to take our performances out to the community and be artists starting conversations about Jesus.
Letour strives for a faithful depiction of the broken realities of our time, sharing eloquent testimonies of our culture’s fragmentation in movement, image, music and words, juxtaposed with graceful reminders of the faith, hope and love that is available through Jesus Christ.*
Our primary audience target is non-Christian, and this drives our repertoire selections and performance venues. We also love to serve the Christian community, and therefore regularly visit churches and other ministry venues in order to join with God's people in glorifying Him, and to inspire young people and adults to catch the vision for creative arts outreach that God has given us! We operate with a Gospel DNA and a clear theological vision for reaching this generation for Jesus Christ.
At Christian venues we often include brief Worldview Reflections shared by Letour Members about their performance selections. These Reflections provide insight to audiences about our central "behind-the-scenes" method: "reading" and responding to culture from a Biblical perspective.
*This sentence is adapted from a quote that fit LETOUR perfectly by Makoto Fujimura, a professional artist who follows Jesus.
Hillary Underwood graduated Magna Cum Laude from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Ga., with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre. Hillary relocated to Tallahassee in 2010 and currently is working at Community Christian School as the Creative Arts Director. Hillary has been happily married to Josh Underwood fornine years. They have three children: Cole, Ella, and Noah. Hillary has been involved in the arts most of her life, and has been working in the CCS Creative Arts Department since 2013. She is a founding LETOUR Director, established in 2014. “Being in the image of the Creator, we are called upon to have creativity” (Francis A. Schaeffer).
Barry Kaye spent 30 years in Los Angeles as a vocalist, keyboard player, and recording artist for MCA Records, as well as a songwriting instructor at the Musicians’ Institute in Hollywood and the UCLA Extension Arts Department.He also produced five contemporary Christian albums, including the Grammy-nominated record “I Could Never Say Goodbye” featuring Amy Grant and Randy Stonehill. He has served on the board of directors for the Florida Association ofBroadcasters for 12 years, and ran several radio stations in California, Georgia, and seven stations here in Tallahassee. Barry is currently the Music Director for LETOURat Community Christian School, works with Adams Radio Group as a senior media consultant for four local radio stations, and serves as the vocal director and keyboard player for the praise and worship team at North Point Christian Church. He is also the Vocal & Music Director for the CCS musical productions. He has been married toKelly Kaye for 37 years, with whom he has three children (one of them is CCS’s own Mrs. Underwood!), three grandchildren, and a fourth grandson on the way!
Ally Love is a graduate of Florida State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Communication Studies and a Minor in Film Studies. She currently works at Adams Radio Group as a personality on 103.1 The Wolf and Hot 104.9, and as the director of branding and events for SoMo Walls. Ally and her husband, Tyler Love, just celebrated their one-year anniversary! She attended CCS from pre-school through senior year of high school and participated in many arts productions throughout her time at CCS. Because of her deep passion for the arts, Ally remained a part of the CCS Arts Program after graduation, assisting with theatre productions and co-directing the performing arts ensemble, LETOUR.
Hannah Osterbye has been involved with Letour since its conception. First a member, then an intern, and after some years away came back as a director. She loves all things involving vocals, dance, spoken word, and theatre. Something she appreciates about LeTour is the way the program strives to meet the community where they are, trying to bridge the gap between Christ and culture. Hannah is married with two cats and can often be found watching movies or reading.
We went on the Gospel Centered Education podcast to talk about our recent project–Co Create. Check it out!
There are multiple ways to be apart of Letour! In addition to audition and acceptance, take a look at some other pathways to membership that we offer. Please note the below listed fees are not applicable to the Mentorship Program. Feel free to reach out for further pricing information.
2 Semester Fee Package:
Full time Community Christian School student = $260
Homeschool/CEO Students = $375
1 Semester Fee Package:
CCS Full-time Student = $195
Homeschool/CEO Students = $285
Are typically in AUGUST and JANUARY from 3-5 PM in the CCS Auditorium (4859 Kerry Forest Parkway). Things we look for at auditions:
1. Strong demonstrated talent in one or two art forms.
2. A great attitude ("plays well with others", easy to work with, consistent in punctuality and rehearsal attendance, responsible, takes instruction well, etc.)
3. A strong work ethic.
4. A strong personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
5. A strong creative bent toward improvising and creating or curating original art pieces, especially through collaborative brain-storming. Though not technically required for selection, improv/creating is central to the mission of LETOUR and therefore highly prized.
6. A Community Christian School or homeschooled student (typically high school but middle school students are welcome to audition)
The LETOUR mentorship program is available to students who have raw talent that may not be fully developed. This allows students to participate in our program on a smaller scale, trial basis. Examples of why students are selected for this program are; stage fright, stage presence, vocal techniques, etc.
Purpose:
to develop healthy, continuing relationships between older LETOUR students
and their younger counterparts for the purpose of connection, artistic guidance, skill development, resource, and prayer.
Process:
The student being mentored (hereafter, the student) will come to one rehearsal a week. The days may vary according to that student’s schedule. Preferably, the student will provide the Coordinating Director with his/her attendance schedule at the beginning of each semester. LETOUR meets two days a week (typically Mondays & Thursdays) from 3:00- 5:00 PM in the CCS Auditorium, and occasionally in the main office conference room.
The student will perform one piece with their LETOUR member mentor at the semester CCS LETOUR performance. The Student must attend the full number of dress rehearsals prior to the performance. The student will receive the t-shirt produced for the semester(s) they participate.
The Letour Internship Program is a part-time, professional, paid Internship Program offered by Community Christian School in the field of Arts Management.
The program provides a full-spectrum, real-world experience that will contribute favorably to the personal and professional growth and development of committed Interns.
The Intern(s) selected for each season will serve as Media & LogisticsAssistant/Arts Instructor on Letour's professional creative leadership team–job description may vary according to the intern’s targeted talent(s).
Note: This program is targeted towards LETOUR alumni and is only paid at the college level.
LETOUR is a student-led arts program at CCS. Each semester our students meet for a brainstorming session where they agree upon a central theme to drive their repertoire to take to the surrounding community. We then encourage and train these young artists to intentionally apply that theme with their artistic talent to advancing the Gospel of the Kingdom in performances that resonate with Resilient Hope, Unswerving Faith and Extravagant Love. It is our desire to lead young artists to develop their craft with excellent technique & leadership, expressed through timeless, interesting and relevant repertoire that results in dynamic and impacting performances. Lastly, we encourage our student members to produce original, high-quality work that can be applied to their chosen theme.
Have a question or need more information? Reach out to us!