A hit with audiences and judges alike, University of Michigan graduate Elisabeth Frankel’s script about pre-WWII Nazi Germany has earned her first place in the 2015 Beckwith/Dogwood Emerging Playwright Competition.

Frankel’s play, “A German Party,” beat out submissions by two of her former classmates to take home the title and the $1,500 Don and Dorothy Frantz Memorial Award. Taking the $500 second place Karen Pugh Memorial Award is last year’s winner, Graham Techler, for his play “Moxie;” rounding out the finalists is Gregory Strasser for “Atlanta,” receiving the $250 Warren and Lillian Walshleger Memorial Award.

“I can’t express how grateful and humbled I am by this award and presentation,” Frankel said in a letter submitted to the competition organizers. “It’s a strange and lovely experience to be writing this, for only recently have I experienced people reading my plays at all, let alone responding in a way that I have always, deeply, and discretely hoped they would.”

The script was performed at the Beckwith Theatre stage on April 17 by actors with the South Bend Civic Theatre. Actors with Beckwith and Southwestern Michigan College participated in the readings of the other two scripts, which took place the following Saturday and Sunday.

Attendance all three readings were up nearly double from last year, said organizer and judge Rich Frantz.

“I think people are really getting an idea of what these readings are like,” he said. “We had a lot of people who showed up last year return, which is a good indicator that it’s an enjoyable evening.”

Described by its author as a drama about the power of choices, “A German Party” is set in a tumultuous time and setting, Berlin in 1932. During a New Year’s Eve party, a group of friends gather for a reunion party, where their bonds are tested as they take stands in the charged political atmosphere.

Frantz and the judges were impressed by the impact the play’s message had, on themselves and the audience, he said.

“The characters were very interesting; they weren’t just a bunch of stereotypes,” Frantz said. “It was a very well-written play. The dialog was really good.”

Frankel’s play was a strong contender for first place since the first round of judging, and continued to be the frontrunner in both the audience’s ratings and through the final round of judging by the competition panel.

A second reading of the play will take place during the Dogwood Festival itself, at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 11, at the Beckwith Theatre. Admission to the reading is free.

Frankel will be unable to attend the winner’s ceremony, due to her commitment to a play she is helping direct in New York City.

“I think the fact she’s working now shows you she is an up and coming star,” Frantz said. “This is your chance to see a play from someone who could be featured on Broadway in five or 10 years.”