"Dance of the Holy Ghosts," Yale-trained playwright Marcus Gardley's semi-autobiographical family drama, gets a reading Monday night at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis.

The action in the play is triggered by a mother's dying wish. She asks her son to get her blues-singing father (his grandfather) to sing at her funeral. The play is being described as a "memoryscape."

The staged reading is being directed by Dominic Taylor and features, among other actors, Ansa Akyea, Marvette Knight, Sonja Parks and Bruce A. Young.

Gardley talks about the play, which has won a number of awards but has not yet been produced, here.

The free reading is at 7 p.m. Mon., January 9, at the Playwrights Center, 2301 E. Franklin Av., Minneapolis. 612-332-7481 x10 or make reservations online.

The reading is part of the Ruth Easton series at the Playwrights' Center. Upcoming readings will feature new plays by Samuel D. Hunter and Christina Ham.