In Memoriam: Mark Blum
MAY 14, 1950 — MARCH 25, 2020
“Mark put his whole heart and soul into the Hagen Core Training program. He felt such a deep responsibility to all of his students and was always concerned he wasn’t doing enough to help them. He took great pride in the quality of training the program offered, as he watched his students continually shift and grow. The Hagen Core Training represented to him the type of actor training he had always wanted to receive. And so, giving to HB is the biggest gift I can give him. It honors his dedication to young actors, his vision as a leader, his wisdom as a teacher, his humility as an artist, and his unwavering love and commitment to this beautiful program. Thank you, HB, for trusting Mark to oversee the Hagen Core Training program. I know his values will live on at the center of the program; it does my heart good to see his work and his legacy continue. If only he could see what he inspired. ” – Janet Zarish
As an actor, director, teacher, mentor, and leader, Mark Blum set a standard that cannot be surpassed—for artistry, compassion, intelligence, decency, and wit. He was a cherished and respected actor and member of the HB Studio community. We feel the loss of him keenly.
Mark was the Director of the Uta Hagen Institute’s Hagen Core Training program at the time of his passing, having taught acting in the program since its inception. Mark’s extraordinary commitment to this program, his care for his students and his colleagues, his delight in their achievements, cannot be quantified. His own achievements as an artist; his precise, nuanced, and deeply human acting on stage and screen served as a towering example. His students–the talent they reveal, their skills and artistic integrity–are his living legacy.
Mark’s wife, Janet Zarish, has established a scholarship at HB Studio in honor of Mark for the Hagen Core Training program. Mark’s dedication to the program, and the promise of his students, will be honored each time we provide a talented artist the opportunity to study in the Hagen Core Training program through the newly established Mark Blum Scholarship.
The Hagen Core Training program is a one-year conservatory for actors, offering immersion in the practice of their craft. The program takes a small ensemble of actors through a year of intensive daily work in the physical and interpretive skills and practices that are the essence of an actor’s craft. Using Uta Hagen’s exercises as a basis, the Core provides a practical foundation for the lifelong process of self-education a professional actor’s work requires.
HB Studio offers financial support year-round to artists through the HB Scholarship Fund. Contributions to support the HB Scholarship Fund through the Mark Blum Scholarship, are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. By supporting Mark’s fund, you are providing access to talented and diverse students to a life-changing opportunity.
Make a donation to support the Mark Blum Scholarship today.
Thank you for joining us in honoring Mark Blum’s indelible legacy as an artist and teacher. We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has generously donated.