The Present Company finishes up its scheduled run of A Place Like This, the latest work by one of its staple playwrights, C.J. Hopkins. The drama has been presented at the troupe's Theatorium on 198 Stanton Street on the Lower East Side, May 24-June 17.

The Present Company previously presented Hopkins' metaphysical mind trip of a play, Horse Country, as well as his Texas Radio. The former work was recently published in a new anthology of plays edited by Martin Denton, "Plays and Playwrights for the New Millennium."

A Place Like This will mark Hopkins directorial debut. Treading ground familiar to those who saw Horse Country, the new work will examine "the state of American Theatre and the society it reflects." According to production notes, the show will feature a bare bones set, on which a large ensemble of actors try to get at the truth behind the durability of the ages-old theatrical experience.

The Present Company Theatorium is located at 198 Stanton Street. For more information, call (212) 420-8877.

-- By Robert Simonson