Acting Class

一群素未謀面的陌生人，焦慮的未婚媽媽，對婚姻已感到厭倦的夫妻，躍躍欲試的人體模特，他們齊聚一堂，只為參加一位「誰也不清楚但總之很厲害」的「大師」─John Smith的表演課，共住在一起，追尋大師的腳步學習「表演」，看似平凡的故事，背後卻隱藏著對當代社會的深入觀察與諷刺。

Drnaso以《莎賓娜》成為史上首次入圍布克獎的圖像小說作家，他的人物設計刻意以扁平、無特色的樣版面孔為主，角色的服裝造型和髮色、膚色都選擇單色色塊，給人一種雖現代卻超現實的感覺。以「表演課」為包裝，學員們在大師的領導中相信透過表演能淨化自我─甚至連仿若邪教教主的John Smith也是，但顯而易見的，這絕不是一次點亮人生燈塔的體驗，而是暗喻疏離社會中，現代人追尋歸屬感與認同的渴切，卻一再導向虛假與欺騙。

Drnaso的故事中也點出像John Smith這類人物─可能是政治家，宗教家、宗教領袖或邪教領袖，透過各種奇怪的儀式或話術騙取名聲或金錢，手法簡單甚至原始，卻總有「信徒」追隨幫襯，成為現今社會的奇觀。


Internationally acclaimed graphic artist: Drnaso's previous title SABRINAwas the first ever graphic novel nominated for the Booker Prize and the Orwell Prize

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Every single person has something unique to them which is impossible to re-create, without exception. - John Smith, acting coach

From the acclaimed author of Sabrina, Nick Drnaso's Acting Class creates a tapestry of disconnect, distrust, and manipulation. Ten strangers are brought together under the tutelage of John Smith, a mysterious and morally questionable leader. The group of social misfits and restless searchers have one thing in common: they are out of step with their surroundings and desperate for change.

A husband and wife, four years into their marriage and simmering in boredom. A single mother, her young son showing disturbing signs of mental instability. A peculiar woman with few if any friends and only her menial job keeping her grounded. A figure model, comfortable in his body and ready for a creative challenge. A worried grandmother and her adult granddaughter; a hulking laborer and gym nut; a physical therapist; an ex-con.

With thrumming unease, the class sinks deeper into their lessons as the process demands increasing devotion. When the line between real life and imagination begins to blur, the group's deepest fears and desires are laid bare. Exploring the tension between who we are and how we present, Drnaso cracks open his characters' masks and takes us through an unsettling American journey.