This Winter, No Discontent As Richard III

Losing a dedication to "new and challenging and edgy work" is a hazard any institution faces as it becomes, well, more institutional, explains Shalwitz. "The typical trajectory for a theater like Woolly is to become more and more mainstream as it grows . . . our mission and our goal and our purpose always was to protect our ability to take risks and Kevin was just a guy who believed in that."

Moore says he came for the edge. "They did some great art on Church Street. What attracted me in the first place was the artistic reputation of a theater that would do Nicky Silver's work and Harry Kondoleon's and things like that."

Among Moore's favorite Woolly shows was the 2002 world premiere of Craig Wright's Sept. 11 play, "Recent Tragic Events."

"The first draft we read was only 50 pages long and there was a sock puppet playing Joyce Carol Oates. I was afraid we would come off as exploiting the tragedy," Moore recalls. "When I walked in there on opening night and saw what had transpired and the power of a piece of theater to help a community heal . . . that's the single most powerful night I think I've spent in Woolly Mammoth."

Shalwitz says he expects the board will launch a national search to replace Moore.

Follow Spots

· New works by Washington-based playwrights Caleen Sinnette Jennings ("Inns and Outs") and Karen Zacarias ("The Sins of Sor Juana") have made it to the semifinal round of the big-deal National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn., as readers winnow submissions for next summer's workshops.

· Solas Nua, which produces contemporary Irish playwrights rarely showcased in the United States, presents the American premiere of Enda Walsh's "The Small Things" tonight through Feb. 25 at Flashpoint (916 G St. NW). Walsh is to be on hand this weekend. Kathleen Akerley directs. Visit http://www.solasnua.org.

· Angela Lansbury donated her unmistakable voice as the angry giantess in Signature Theatre's "Into the Woods" to mark the company's grand opening in its Arlington space. Board member Victor Shargai knows Lansbury, and "Woods" composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim liked the idea, so it became a reality.