"I like to look at (The Public Theatre) as halfway between the Weekend Theatre and the Rep. We pay sometimes and do more modern plays, plus some originals," he says. "In my opinion, the Community Theatre does mostly family-oriented shows, where the Weekend Theatre has a social commentary niche. We don't have a niche we have to fill, so we're pretty wide open."

   Two original sketch comedies, "Men's Room" and "Ladie's Room," have provided The Public Theatre's biggest hits so far. The one-act plays revolve around comic relief found in the lavatory, featuring realistic bathrooms built on stage for the performance.

   "I conceived them, and six local writers wrote scenes for them," Henderson says, noting plans exist for a "Best of the Ladie's Room" that will feature excerpts from the original plus a few new scenes. Other upcoming shows include "Our Town" (part of the American Classic's series), the dark comedy "Dearly Departed," and possibly "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" for Halloween. Unlike other theaters in town, The Public Theatre does not plan its whole season, which allows for scheduling flexibility.

    The Public Theatre relies on ticket sales to pay the bills, which occasionally leads to scheduling events other than theater productions. Designed as a 66-seat "black box," The Public Theatre acts as home to the Shakespeare Festival of Arkansas, while its performing-arts space focuses on theater, independent film, and live music. Its Website claims it enables creative artists to develop and express their ideas in an open-spirited, collaborative environment, while at the same time producing entertainment that will draw and satisfy as large an audience as possible.

   "We want it to be the artistic home for anyone in the community," Henderson says.

   The Public Theatre provides gallery space for local artists (paintings, sculptures, etc.) with the theater receiving 10 percent of the proceeds. It also hosts on-going beginning and advanced acting classes on Saturdays at 2 p.m. for $10 per session. The Public Theatre can boast of hosting a record label party, as well as providing another venue for local musicians including Gas Can and the unofficial house band, School Boy Humor.

   "We'd like to do more music," Henderson says.

   The Public Theatre sponsored the Arkansas Short-Short Film competition last year, and Henderson says they plan to sponsor it again in November 2004. In late February, Odd Duck Productions held auditions for its film "The Monkey Boy" at the theater.

   Henderson, 39, has served as the artistic director of The Public Theatre for a little over a year. Originally from Boston, he attended Boston University as a theater major, but found he did not like the school. After transferring to Salem State College and graduating, Henderson attended the National Shakespeare Conservatory in New York City. He spent the next 13 years living there and acting in 43 states. He first came to Little Rock to act at the Weekend Theatre, then returned to New York, only to return in 1996.

   "I planned to get out of the city for six months, but now I've been here for eight years," he says.

   In that time, Henderson's performances have included shows at the Rep, Weekend Theatre and Murray's. He considers his best acting work here to be roles in "Love, Valor, Compassion" and "Caberet" at the Weekend Theatre, in Moliere's "Tartuffe" at the Community Theatre, and as McDuff in "MacBeth" in the Shakespeare Festival. He says his favorite directing work here includes "Sweeny Todd" and Tennessee Williams' "Glass Menagerie," for which he also designed the sets and lighting.

   "For the size city it is, Little Rock has the most theater I've seen," he says. "It's double to triple the amount of theater that Memphis has."

   In addition to the theater, Henderson's resume includes film work in "Pledge Night," a horror movie in which he played the pledge master, and "Bix," a movie about 1920s jazz trumpet player Bix Beiderbecke in which he played clarinet player Pee Wee Russell. ("Pledge Night" can be rented at RAO Video.) He has been involved on the other side of the camera as well while working with an independent film and video company, and counts one feature-length film to his credit. Henderson has also written screenplays and shorts, and currently is working on the short film "Dragonfly" for the Wizard World Magazine competition.

   Henderson plans to open the Easy Street Piano Bar at 7th and Center at the old Arts and Theology Theatre. He expects to have beer and wine licenses by April, and hopes to attract more business to the area. While he notes that portions of downtown Little Rock have begun growing, he hopes people will realize downtown activities include more than the River Market.

   "We're hoping as downtown gets more active, more people will find us," Henderson says. "The people who've found us keep coming back."

   Event tickets must be purchased at the door at 616 Center Street. Upcoming events can be found by visiting The Public Theatre online at http://www.thepublictheatre.com, or calling 374-7529. For more information on renting The Public Theatre, contact Henderson at 374-PLAY.