Thursday, June 19, 2014
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor Summer Festival builds community connections

Thursday, June 19, 2014
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Month-long event ated with the city," Nesbitt said.
"It's really nice because people are
features performers, representing different parts of the
community and it's great because
movie screenings there are different voices around
the table."
By HILLARY CRAWFORD Top of the Park is primarily
Daily Staff Reporter known for its array of free outdoor
events, which include concerts
Summer has officially arrived in and nighttime movie screenings
Ann Arbor. at Ingalls Mall in front of Rack-
The Ann Arbor Summer Festi- ham Graduate School. In addition
val, a yearly tradition in the city to live entertainment, Top of the
compromised of both ticketed Park's Retreat Series offers yoga
performances and free outdoor lessons taught by local Ann Arbor
attractions, held its kick-off event instructors.
Friday, June 13 and will continue The festival also includes a
until July with a diverse assort- Library on the Lawn series, which
ment of events scheduled for each invites people to stop by Ingalls
consecutive night. Mall to find out what is available
The Summer Festival is a non- at both the Ann Arbor District
profit 501(c)(3) organization and Library and the University Librar-
agency of the University that oper- ies, as well as a KidZone, which
ates year-round. It is responsible holds arts and crafts sessions for
for organizing both the outdoor younger attendees.
component of the festival, Top of For the indoor events, this
the Park as well as the Mainstage year's Mainstage Series includes
Series, which are the ticketed per- performers such as Andrew Bird,
formances. CAKE, Lily Tomlin and NPR's Ask
Amy Nesbitt, executive director Me Another.
of the Summer Festival, said the The Top of the Park events
organization strives to produce a occur at venues both on and off
show that represents the diversity campus, and Nesbitt said it helps
in Ann Arbor through its volunteer bring together Ann Arbor resi-
board of directors, who play a large dents and University students and
role in how the organization oper- faculty.
ates, what it does, what its mission "It contributes, I think, this
is, and what it wants to become. amazing glue to both university
"That board is comprised half folks and the townies," Nesbitt
of folks who are affiliated with the added. "Everyone gets together
University and half that are affili- and celebrates the arts and sum-

eachaother, with the business serv-
ing as a sponsor of the nonprofit
and the nonprofit offering positive
publicity for the business.
University alum Charlie Water-
house, a longtime Ann Arbor resi-
dent, comes to the Festival each
year either with his employer,
United Bank and Trust, or with his
family. An event held by the local
community bank brought him and
other colleagues to the beverage
garden on Wednesday to host cli-
ents for a night of food, drinks and
music.
"I've been in Ann Arbor for 30
years and it's one of those events
that makes Ann Arbor Ann Arbor,"
Waterhouse said. "It's an eclectic
mix of music, it's community, you
see people who you maybe haven't
seen in a while and stop and talk
and then there's culture."
This year marks the Festival's
31st season. It will be hosting 140
events altogether and over the
three-week period, expects a turn-
out of about 70,000 people.
"We've definitely been trying
really hard over the years to make
sure everyone feels invited to the
party," Nesbitt said. "It's so impor-
tant to get out and enjoy summer-
see the fireflies."

'Think Like a Man' stars talk success

R
rd
dis+

Jayson Traver, lead vocalist of Captain Ivory, performs on Rackham's stage
at Top of the Park Tuesday night.

mer and community and the beau-
tiful campus in ways that never
happen anywhere else to this
degree."
LSA senior Hannah Smith is
bartending at the Festival's Bever-
age Garden for the fourth consec-
utive summer. She said being able
to listen to the live music and see
people come back year after year
makes the job not only enjoyable,
but also fun.
"Whoever you are, there's some-

thing for you," Smith said. "There
are definitely regulars and I see a
lot of friends from school as well."
Along with building connections
between the city and the Univer-
sity, the Festival's array of events is
also partially a product of its focus
on coalition building with local
community businesses. Over the
years, the festival has made efforts
to share resources with local part-
ners so that both the nonprofit and
business sector can thrive off of

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{egina Hall and est lesson from her college expe-
rience wasn't what she learned in
'erence Jenkins the classroom, but rather, the dis-
cipline that a student life instills.
cuss their careers "You have to turn in your
and new film papers, and there's a certain
amount of work responsibility
that you have to have" she said.
By CARLY KEYES "That stays with me more than the
DailyArts Writer lessons. I remember certain books
I read, but the work ethic of finish-
"Think Like a Man Too," ing four years of school, like, par-
llow-up to 2012's "Think tying all night then having to go to
Man," Regina Hall, a vet- class, that's served me the most.
of both silver and small Because I was like 'I have to go to
s, fresh-off of the roman- class, no matter what."'
boot of "About Last Night" Jenkins weighed in on his simi-
Kevin Hart, and Terrence lar feelings regarding the benefits
ns, seasoned co-anchor of of his education.
ews" with Giuliana Rancic, "As an actor, it's kinda like we
e their roles as Candace and never really left (college)," he said.
el, a devoted couple head- "We get paid to party (in 'Think
the altar in America's play- Like a Man Too'). It's the best job
d: Las Vegas. in the world, but that being said,
, sure-fire marital bliss the skill set is the big takeaway
es a steep gamble when from college. And all the rest of
ce, Michael and the rest of the stuff, you can go back and re-
ginal gang, face unexpected learn, or learn things for the first
les, which raise the stakes time, for example, I've been really
wer the odds of a "happily interested in World War II lately."
fter." "You need to talk to my broth-
June 2, the Daily sat down er," Hall interjected. "He loves
Hall and Jenkins to talk (learning about) World War II.
their respective roads to That's what college is good for,
most recent project and how too. I think it makes you a vora-
s doesn't come from laying cious learner."
your winning hand on the Hall described the voracity she
but rather, playing smart also required when she first avidly

Jenkins and Hall in "Think Like a Man"
attempted to break into the enter-
tainment industry.
"I got a zillion 'No's' before I got
a 'Yes,' "she said. "I got 'No's' just
to getting an agent. I had someone
tell me, 'No, it's going to require
too much of a push to start you.'
A lot of it is timing. All of a sud-
den, it will just surprisingly fall
into place, like with Terrence. I
hadn't seen him act yet, but when
we had our table read, I couldn't
imagine anybody else (playing the
role of Michael). So, you can break
through anything if you're just
great at what you do."
Jenkins echoed Hall's words of
advice on perseverance.
"I knew going into that role, on
paper, it should've been (a more

well-known actor), so for me
it's just about working hard and
studying the script," he said. "I
knew I was the least-experienced
(actor on set), so I always wanted
to be the most prepared. Humility
gets you a long way, and I've never
been scared to go to Regina and
ask for help."
Hall empathized with a mem-
ory of one of her first prominent,
reoccurring roles on TV's "Ally
McBeal" where she was once in
Jenkins's nervous, newcomer
shoes.
"(It was my) first day, and I had
these braids because I was shoot-
ing 'Scary Movie,' " she said. "I
was so horrified that that's what
my hair had to be. Then the (crew)

tell me, 'You're with Sting and
Robert Downey (Jr.).' There's no
rehearsal; there's no table read
because it's television, and they're
like 'You ready?' I was nervous, so
I spoke really fast, but (her char-
acter, Coretta) was a lawyer, so
I guess that worked out. It was
really fun."
For Hall and Jenkins, a col-
lege education yielded much more
than an advanced degree or an
official diploma - it fostered an
air of discipline and drive that's
served them well as actors con-
stantly moving forward in the
entertainment industry.
"Think Like a Man Too" hits
theaters with a wide release on
Fri. June 20.


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Matthaei Botanical fGardens-for free! It's easy: reserve your
free ride on the MDetroit Center Connector shuttle bus at
detroitcenter.umich.edu/mdcc and board at the Central
Campus Transit Center with your Meard.,

and hard with the cards you've
been dealt.
"I was in New York, and a friend
of mine who lived in my build-
ing was an actress," Hall said. "I
was broke, and she suggested I
try doing some commercials. She
introduced me to her manager."
At the time, Hall was a master's
student in journalism at NYU.
"I wasn't making (it to) any
auditions, and (my manager) said,
'You're either in the business, or
you're out,"' Hall recalled. "I said,
'I guess, I have to be out,' because
I couldn't do my thesis and go (to
auditions), too."'
Jenkins also studied journal-
ism during his academic career at
North Carolina A&T State Univer-
sity.
"I started off interning for a
radio station when I was 16," he
said. "Then studied it, and did
commercial and community radio
at the local station and on cam-
pus."
Hall mentioned how the great-