William Henderson

William Henderson is a writer, speaker, performer and co-founder of The Eleventh Hour theatre company.

William Henderson created Rosslyn, a small community of artists from several disciplines, in Fitzroy in 1997. In 2001 he founded The Eleventh Hour, with co-artistic director, Anne Thompson. Located in two reclaimed 19th century church buildings, the Rosslyn community is home to The Eleventh Hour, the Astra Chamber Music Society and noted Australian landscape artist, John Wolseley. William has been co-artistic director, dramaturg and producer for The Eleventh Hour.

Over its ten year history The Eleventh Hour has produced a critically acclaimed body of work which won several Green Room Awards and played mostly to full houses. The Company also performed at the 2008 Melbourne International Festival and last year’s Adelaide Festival where its version of Shakespeare’s The Life and Death of King John was deemed one of the two must see events of the Festival.

In the 1970s. William was an actor in The Greek Theatre Project. He was involved with the Pram Factory and La Mama before becoming a founding member of The Mill Community Theatre Company in Geelong, where he worked as an actor, playwright and community theatre worker. Published writings include plays, poetry and performance texts, one of which, Murchitt, has been set to music by Australian composer Lawrence Whiffin. In the 1990, William taught for five years at the Victorian College of the Arts School of Drama.

For the past 20 years William has worked alongside the Astra Chamber Music Society and its musical director, John McCaughey, in a number of roles: as performer, stage director, board member, and from 1992 to 1994, as co-artistic director.