Abstract- This paper outlines four aspects of the English resource center (ERC) at saitama university,japan. The first snapshot details a brief history of the center and illustrates its socially situated learning community. The second snapshot considers the significance of an English for academic purposes event, which occurred in the ERC. The third snapshot reveals how the center’s drama workshop enhances English as a second or other language performance as participants each experiment with their English identity. Finally, the fourth snapshot analyzes English proficiency gains by the center’s attendees. In sum, working together as a whole, the differing interactive contexts of the ERC strongly support linguistic and cultural growth and development. Keywords-component; language aducation; social interaction; language learning environments; English for academic purposes; drama; language proficiency and improvement