Peter Marks, the New York Times' former second-string theatre critic, has taken a job at the Washington Post, where he will graduate to chief theatre critic.

Marks was the Times' second-stringer under Ben Brantley from 1996 to 1999. During his tenure he enjoyed an unusual amount of respect within the theatre community. Producers and artists frequently commented that his reviews were straightforward and readable.

Marks left the job to cover the 2000 Presidential campaign. Since then, he has been a frequent contributor to the Times' Sunday Arts and Leisure section. He will leave the Times July 12 and probably begin work at the Post in mid-to-late-August.

Marks' departure is only the latest in a mini-exodus among theatre journalists at the New York dailies. New York Newsday theatre columnist Patrick Pacheco recently relinquished his beat to become editor-in-chief of the new quarterly magazine, Show People. And the Times' own columnist, Jesse McKinley, is expected to leave his post sometime this summer, possibly to take a job at one of the paper's west coast offices.

—By Robert Simonson