'Here's a knocking indeed ' says the Porter in Shakespeare's Scottish play (Act II, Scene 3) and immediately puts himself into role in order to deal with the demands of such an early call after a late night of drinking and carousal: 'If a man were porter of hell-gate...'. But what roles does the porter of curriculum-gate take on in order to deal with drama's persistent demands for entry? Ah, that depends upon the temperature of the times. We, who have been knocking for what seems to be a very long time, know well that when evaluation and measurement criteriaare demanded as evidence of drama's ef cacy, an examiner stands as gatekeeper. When the educational landscape is in danger of overcrowding, we meet a territorial governor. And how often has the courtesan turned out to be only a tease because the arts are, for a brief moment, in the spotlight for their abilities to foster out-of-the-box thinkers? In this text, we meet these 'commissionaires' and many more. The gatekeeping roles and what they represent are so familiar that they have become cliches to us. We know them by their arguments, ripostes, dismissals, their brief encouragement and lack of follow-up. And we know that behind each one (however rmly they think they keep the keys) is a nancial and political master whose power controls the curriculum building and everything in it."

In recent years the contribution of drama to second language learning has grown internationally as a field of interest to both teachers and researchers. The potential for drama to provide strong social contexts for learning, to provide opportunities for the learner to embody the target language and to motivate students' desire to communicate have been increasingly recognized as fruitful areas of inquiry. This book provides a brief historical perspective on the development of this interest before presenting a range of examples drawn from recent research projects led by those who are themselves experienced as drama and second language teachers. Drawing on a variety of theoretical perspectives and deploying a range of methodological processes, the chapters present evidence as to how and why drama can impact on student learning in a range of classrooms, from the primary school through to undergraduate level. Focusing on issues such as questioning in role, the professional development of second language teachers interested in using drama, and the role of artistry when applying drama as pedagogy for second language learning, they provide an up to date picture of contemporary practices and an acute analysis of both the possibilities and the challenges facing researchers in the field. This book was originally published as a special issue of Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance.

'Here's a knocking indeed ' says the Porter in Shakespeare's Scottish play (Act II, Scene 3) and immediately puts himself into role in order to deal with the demands of such an early call after a late night of drinking and carousal: 'If a man were porter of hell-gate...'. But what roles does the porter of curriculum-gate take on in order to deal with drama's persistent demands for entry? Ah, that depends upon the temperature of the times. We, who have been knocking for what seems to be a very long time, know well that when evaluation and measurement criteriaare demanded as evidence of drama's ef cacy, an examiner stands as gatekeeper. When the educational landscape is in danger of overcrowding, we meet a territorial governor. And how often has the courtesan turned out to be only a tease because the arts are, for a brief moment, in the spotlight for their abilities to foster out-of-the-box thinkers? In this text, we meet these 'commissionaires' and many more. The gatekeeping roles and what they represent are so familiar that they have become cliches to us. We know them by their arguments, ripostes, dismissals, their brief encouragement and lack of follow-up. And we know that behind each one (however rmly they think they keep the keys) is a nancial and political master whose power controls the curriculum building and everything in it."