Could Saoirse Ronan and Andrew Scott Be Next for the Abbey Theatre Stage?

With Paul Mescal officially set to star in a 2027 production of A Whistle in the Dark,a co-production between London’s National Theatre and Dublin’s Abbey Theatre,industry chatter suggests the Abbey is now eyeing two more major Irish stars: Saoirse Ronan and Andrew Scott.

According to the Irish Mail, the Abbey hopes to secure Ronan and Scott for future productions. Neither actor is confirmed, but sources say theatre leadership is eager to build on the momentum of the Mescal announcement by securing additional A-list talent.

Ronan, who was raised in Co. Carlow, has limited professional stage experience despite her decorated film career. She made her theatre debut in The Crucible on Broadway in 2016–17 and later played Lady Macbeth in a West End production in 2021. 

Scott, by contrast, has dozens of stage credits and two Olivier Awards, including one for Present Laughter in 2020. Though his screen work has taken off in recent years, he has continued to return to the stage regularly.

The Mescal production,Tom Murphy’s A Whistle in the Dark, directed by Abbey Artistic Director Caitríona McLaughlin,will premiere at The National Theatre in London before transferring to the Abbey in Dublin. The play centers on a violent family of Irish immigrants in 1960s Coventry, with Mescal playing Michael, the eldest of the Carney brothers.

This will be Mescal’s first time performing at the National, but not his first time at the Abbey. He previously appeared in Asking For It in 2018, portraying the older brother of a teenage rape survivor in Louise O’Neill’s adaptation, which transferred from Cork’s Everyman Theatre to the Abbey for a three-week run.