In March 2005, a festival of 4 new works by the pre-eminent Canadian playwrights John Lazarus, Daniel David Moses, and Julie Salverson will be presented in repertory by Queen's Department of Drama in Kingston. With the participation of over 75 Queen's students and staff, plus two cutting-edge professional companies (Toronto's Tapestry New Opera Works and Theatre Kingston), Dram-Fest 05 promises to be the most intense and diverse few weeks of dramatic experimentation imaginable. Beginning March 10, 2005, the festival opens with Songs of Love and Medicine, a two-show evening featuring a country-western vaudeville The Ballad of Burnt Ella and a lyrical fantasia A Song of the Tall Grass, both by Daniel David Moses with music by David Deleary. On March 16, Meltdown, a modern riff on the Icarus legend by John Lazarus, joins the repertoire, and, on March 18, a workshop production of Shelter, a new opera about making choices in the nuclear era with a libretto by Julie Salverson and music by Juliet Palmer, becomes the final show to debut in the festival.

        John Hirsch Prize-winning Director Colin Taylor will be on hand to oversee the production of Songs of Love and Medicine while Theatre Kingston Artistic Director Craig Walker will be directing the premiere of Meltdown. Meanwhile the artistic team from Tapestry New Opera, including Artistic Director Wayne Strongman, will be in Kingston to guide the work of the singer/actors involved in the mounting of the workshop of Shelter. In addition, the festival will feature a day-long symposium on Canadian theatre work on Sunday, March 20 – the day after a full Saturday schedule featuring performances of all the productions.
Tickets - $9. for students and seniors, $12 for other than students and seniors or 2 shows for $12 for students and seniors, $15 for other than students and seniors