Abigail McGrath

Abigail Calachaly McGrath (née Hubbell; September 18, 1940 – December 20, 2024) was an American actress, playwright, and theater producer. She co-founded the Off Center Theater in Manhattan, an Off-Off-Broadway company known for its experimental and children's productions. She later founded the Renaissance House Writers and Artists Retreat on Martha's Vineyard. Earlier in her career, she appeared in Pop artist Andy Warhol's underground film Tub Girls, and was part of the Factory scene in the late 1960s.

Early life and education Abigail Calachaly Hubbell was born on September 18, 1940, in Manhattan, New York City, the only child of the Harlem Renaissance poet Helene Johnson and William Warner Hubbell III, a stevedore who later worked as a subway conductor. Her middle name, Calachaly, was inspired by an imaginary childhood friend created by her mother. Through a recommendation from her friend Johanna Lawrenson, McGrath met nightclub owner Mickey Ruskin, who hired her as the first person to work the door at Max's Kansas City, the Manhattan nightclub frequented by artists, musicians, and members of Pop artist Andy Warhol's Factory.

The Off Center Theater In 1968, McGrath co-founded the Off Center Theater in Manhattan with Anthony McGrath, whom she later married.

The theater produced works by playwrights including Trevor Griffiths, Barry Keefe, Neal Bell, and Norman Wexler. During the shutdown, McGrath and the company expanded Your Daily Bread, a bakery business they had established to supplement the theater's finances, supplying baked goods to restaurants and theater-related businesses in Manhattan.

In 1989, McGrath and Anthony McGrath sold the company's headquarters on West 18th Street, but the theater continued to stage productions through 2017. Renaissance House became a space for writers, particularly those addressing social issues and from underrepresented backgrounds, to focus on their craft. The film starred Domenica Cameron-Scorsese, daughter of filmmaker Martin Scorsese.

McGrath's experiences inspired aspects of her cousin Dorothy West's novel The Wedding (1995), which was adapted into a miniseries by Oprah Winfrey.