Drawn & Quarterly have announced a new graphic novel by Nick Drnaso called “Acting Class.” As indicated by the title, “Acting Class” will follow a group of strangers attending an acting class being held at their local community center. Over time, the bond between the strangers grows stronger, with each of their personal lives outside the class being resonated with in their lessons, despite their mysterious teacher’s elliptical teaching style.
Peggy Burns, the Publisher at Drawn & Quarterly, stated “Nick’s restraint as a storyteller is unparalleled in making his books eerily immersive, but most of all, such abstemiousness is rare in comics. It’s an honour to publish Nick and to be a small part of his success.”
Rights for the book’s publication have already been sold to multiple countries around the world by Drawn & Quarterly with the help of the Transatlantic Agency, including to the United Kingdom’s Granta UK, Germany’s Aufbau, and China’s Ginkgo.
“Acting Class” will be Drnaso’s third graphic novel. His two previous works, “Beverly” (which was published in 2016), and “Sabrina” (published two years later), have received wide critical acclaim: “Beverly” won the LA Times Book Prize for Best Graphic Novel, while “Sabrina” was the first graphic novel nominated for the Booker Prize. “Sabrina” was also nominated for the Best Graphic Album — New, at the 2019 Eisner Awards. “Beverly” has been optioned for an animated series adaptation by Picturestart.
“Acting Class” is scheduled for release in 2022. The New Yorker debuted an 18-page extract of the graphic novel last December, which you can check out here. The full list of countries where rights have been sold is available here.
