Peter Marks | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1954 or 1955 (age 70–71) |
| Occupation |
|
| Education | Yale University (BA) |
| Years active | 1977–present |
Peter Marks (born 1954 or 1955)[1] is an American journalist and theater critic. Marks was chief theater critic forThe Washington Post from 2002 through 2023.
Marks is from New York.[2] His father had hoped to become an actor, but was unable to pursue it due to theGreat Depression, instead going into advertising. He took Marks and his brother to "a lot of theater," and Marks would perform scenes with his father for the family.[3] His mother was a teacher.[4]
Marks acted in high school and college. He attendedYale University, where he took an acting class with directorNikos Psacharopoulos, but poor grades dissuaded him from pursuing a career as an actor.[3] He wrote for theYale Daily News and graduated in 1977.[5][6]
Marks began working at daily newspapers in 1977, starting at theNew Brunswick Home News.[2] He also worked at theThe Star-Ledger andThe Bergen Record.[7]
AtNewsday, he was part of the team that won the 1992Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting for coverage of the1991 Union Square derailment.[8][7]
Marks was a journalist atThe New York Times for more than nine years, covering severalbeats, including as metro reporter and theater reporter. From 1996 to 1999, he was the "second string" theater critic, coveringoff-Broadway. He then became a national correspondent, covering media in the2000 presidential election campaigns. According toPlaybill, while aTimes critic, "he enjoyed an unusual amount of respect within the theatre community."[7][6][9]
In 2002, Marks left theTimes to joinThe Washington Post as chief theater critic.[7] There, he covered theater in New York as well as in the Washington, D.C. region. His writing contributed to raising the profile ofWashington area theaters.[10]
Marks co-authored, with Valerie Hendy, American International Group CEOBob Benmosche's 2016 memoir,Good for the Money.[11]
He was co-host of the podcastThree on the Aisle with criticsTerry Teachout andElisabeth Vincentelli forAmerican Theatre magazine, from 2017 until Teachout's death in early 2022.[12] In April 2022, he and Vincentelli started a new podcast calledMarks & Vincentelli.[13]
In 2023, Marks took abuyout offered by thePost and left the newspaper at the end of that year.[7]
Marks has namedWalter Kerr,Pauline Kael,Frank Rich, and hisTimes colleague,Ben Brantley as critics who influenced him.[3]
He has served on the jury of thePulitzer Prize for Drama several times, chairing it in 2008, 2013, and 2016.[14][15][16]
Marks was honored with the 2024Helen Hayes Tribute Award.[2]
Since leaving thePost, Marks has performed in play readings withTheater of War.[3]
Marks lives inNew York City.[3] He married Valerie Hendy in 1982.[4]