Photo Flash: Atlantic's TWO UNRELATED PLAYS BY DAVID MAMET: KEEP YOUR PANTHEON AND SCHOOL - In Rehearsal

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) will present the New York and world premieres of a double bill of one-act plays from Atlantic's founder himself.

TWO UNRELATED PLAYS BY David Mamet: KEEP YOUR PANTHEON AND SCHOOL, directed by Neil Pepe, will feature the ensemble cast of Jeffrey Addiss, Michael Cassidy, Steven Hawley, J.J. Johnston, Jordan Lage, Brian Murray, Rod McLachlan, John Pankow, Jonathan Rossetti, Jack Wallaceand Todd Weeks.

KEEP YOUR PANTHEON AND SCHOOL will begin previews Wednesday, September 9; officially open Wednesday, September 30; and play a limited engagement through Sunday, November 1, 2009 Off-Broadway at The Linda Gross Theater (330 West 20 Street).

Founder David Mamet returns to Atlantic with his new comedy that made its world premiere at Center Theatre Group, directed by Atlantic Artistic Director Neil Pepe. KEEP YOUR PANTHEON is a rousing farce that follows the fortunes and misfortunes of an acting troupe in ancient Rome. An impoverished acting company on The Edge of eviction is offered a lucrative engagement. But through a series of mishaps, the troupe finds its problems have actually multiplied.

Mamet's world premiere play SCHOOL is a brief comic discourse on recycling, poster design and the transmission of information.

Pulitzer Prize winning playwright David Mamet returns to the company he founded with a double bill of one-act plays - the world premiere of SCHOOL and the New York premiere of KEEP YOUR PANTHEON, following an acclaimed staging at Center Theatre Group last season, directed by Atlantic Artistic Director Neil Pepe. Mamet was last represented on the Atlantic stage with the smash hit comedy Romance, also staged by Pepe.

Neil Pepe made his acclaimed Broadway debut with the hit revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow last season and staged the world premiere of Ethan Coen's trio of one act comedies Offices. He directed the world premiere of Mamet's Keep Your Pantheon as well as The Duck Variations at Center Theatre Group.

Jeffrey Addiss and Michael Cassidy appeared in the world premiere of Keep Your Pantheon at Center Theater Group. Atlantic ensemble member Steven Hawley appeared in the world premiere of David Mamet's Romance at Atlantic and at the Mark Taper Forum. Mamet veteranJ.J. Johnston appeared in the world premiere of Keep Your Pantheon at Center Theater Group. Founding Atlantic ensemble member Jordan Lage recently played the role of "Bobby Gould" in the hit Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow. Three time Tony Award® nomineeBrian Murray appeared on Broadway in the acclaimed Mary Stuart this season. Atlantic ensemble member Rod McLachlan has appeared in Edmund and Clean. John Pankow recently starred in Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them Off-Broadway and in Cymbeline on Broadway. Jonathan Rossetti and Mamet veteran Jack Wallace appeared in the world premiere of Keep Your Pantheon at Center Theatre Group. Atlantic ensemble memberTodd Weeks recently appeared in Some Americans Abroad Off-Broadway and Atlantic's Scarcity.

The creative team for KEEP YOUR PANTHEON AND SCHOOL will feature scenic design by Takeshi Kata, costume design by Ilona Somogyi, lighting design by Chris Akerlind and sound design by Obadiah Eaves.

David Mamet (Playwright). Plays: Keep Your Pantheon (world premiere, Center Theatre Group2008), Romance (world premiere Atlantic 2005, Mark Taper Forum), November, Boston Marriage, Oleanna, Glengarry GLen Ross (1984 Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Award), American Buffalo, The Old Neighborhood, A Life In The Theater, Speed-the-Plow, Edmond, Lakeboat, The Water Engine, The Woods, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Reunion and The Cryptogram (1995 Obie Award). Translations and adaptations: The Voysey Inheritance by Harvey Granville-Barker, Red River by Pierre Laville and The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters and Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekov and Faustus. Films: The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Verdict, The Untouchables, House of Games (writer/director), Oleanna (writer/director), Homicide (writer/director), The Spanish Prisoner (writer/director), Hoffa, Wag the Dog, The Edge, The Winslow Boy (writer/director), Hannibal, State and Main (writer/director), Heist (writer/director), Spartan (writer/director), Redbelt (writer/director). Mr. Mamet is also the author of Warm and Cold, a book for children with drawings by Donald Sultan and two other children's books, Passover and The Duck and the Goat; Writing in Restaurants, Some Freaks and Make-Believe Town, three volumes of essays; The Hero Pony and The China Man, a book of poems; Three Children's Plays, On Directing Film, The Cabin and the novels The Village, The Old Religion and Wilson. His most recent books include the acting books, True and False and Three Uses of the Knife, The Wicked Son, and Bambi Vs. Godzilla. Mr. Mamet was also a co-creator of the 4-season running, hit CBS television series "The Unit." He is a co-founder and member ofAtlantic Theater Company.

Neil Pepe (Director) made his acclaimed Broadway debut with the hit revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow last season and staged the world premiere of Ethan Coen's trio of one act comedies Offices. He directed the world premiere of Mamet's Keep Your Pantheon as well as The Duck Variations at Center Theatre Group. He has been the artistic director of Atlantic Theater Company since 1992. There he directed Ethan Coen's Almost an Evening; Jez Butterworth's Parlour Song; David Pittu's What's That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling; David Mamet's American Buffalo starring William H. Macy (also Donmar Warehouse, London); Harold Pinter's The Room and Celebration; David Mamet's Romance (also Mark Taper Forum, L.A.); Milos by John Guare; Tom Donaghy's The Beginning of August (also South Coast Rep.); Howard Korder's Sea of Tranquility; Jez Butterworth's Mojo and The Night Heron; Joe Penhall's Blue/Orange; Wolf Lullaby by Hilary Bell; Clean by Edwin Sanchez; and Shaker Heights by Quincy Long. Other credits include Further Than the Furthest Thing by Zinnie Harris (Manhattan Theatre Club), Eric Bogosian's Red Angel (Williamstown Theatre Festival) and Jessica Goldberg's Refuge (Playwrights Horizons).

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) is the award winning Off-Broadway theater dedicated to producing great plays simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble. Atlantic believes that the story of the play and the intent of the playwright are at the core of the creative process.

Atlantic and Neil Pepe were awarded a special 2009 Drama Desk Award for exceptional craftsmanship, dedication to excellence and productions that engage, inspire and enlighten, while Atlantic and Druid's hit revival of Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishmaan was awarded an Outstanding Ensemble Performance Award.

Atlantic's acclaimed world premiere production of its first musical Spring Awakening, with music by Duncan Sheik, book and lyrics by Steven Sater and direction by Michael Mayer, won 8 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical. In 2006, Atlantic was awarded the Lucille Lortel Prize for Outstanding Body of Work.

Since it's inception in 1985, Atlantic has produced more than 120 productions including the Tony Award® winning play The Beauty Queen of Leenane, the world premieres of Woody Allen's A Second Hand Memory and Writer's Block, the acclaimed world premiere of David Mamet's Romance and his new adaptation of The Voysey Inheritance, the musicals Spring Awakening and 10 Million Miles, Jez Butterworth's Mojo, Tom Donaghy's Minutes From The Blue Route, Edwin Sanchez' Trafficking in Broken Hearts and the American premieres of Blue/Orange, Dublin Carol and The Night Heron, the New York premieres of The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow and The Cider House Rules, the revivals of American Buffalo, Edmond, The Hothouse and Hobson's Choice. Atlantic maintains an ensemble of acclaimed actors, writers and directors including David Mamet (playwright and director) and William H. Macy (Academy Award® nominee for Fargo), who founded Atlantic over twenty years ago in 1985.

KEEP YOUR PANTHEON AND SCHOOL will play Tuesday through Friday at 8p, Saturday at 2p and 8p and Sundays at 3p and 7p.

Atlantic Theater Company AT THE LINDA GROSS THEATER is located at 336 West 20th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues). Tickets are $65.00 and available by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 (ticketcentral.com).

BECOME A MEMBER OF Atlantic Theater Company AND GET $25 TICKETS CALL TICKET CENTRAL at (212) 279-4200 or visit www.ticketcentral.com to sign up

Purchase an "All -In-One Membership" and see every main stage and Atlantic Stage 2 production for $195 (plus an $8 service charge). For general inquiries and group sales for both theaters call 212-645-1242.

For more information visit, www.atlantictheater.org

Photos by Ari Mintz

Michael Cassidy, Brian Murray and John Pankow

Standing Left to Right: Jack Wallace, Todd Weeks, Rod McLachlan, Jordan Lage, Steven Hawley, J.J. Johnston, Middle row: Director Neil Pepe, Michael Cassidy, Brian Murray, John Pankow, Front row: Jonathan Rossetti, Jeffrey Addiss

Jordan Lage, Jonathan Rossetti, Todd Weeks, Jack Wallace, John Pankow, Brian Murray, Michael Cassidy, J.J. Johnston, Jeffrey Addiss, Steven Hawley and Rod McLachlan

John Pankow, Jack Wallace and J.J. Johnston

Todd Weeks, Steven Hawley, Jordan Lage and Rod McLachlan