Lokalstück

Lokalstück, term used to denote a play intended for a popular audience, set in the urban or rural environment of the audience, and employing dialect, either in authentic or in modified form. The Lokalstück first flourished in Vienna at the end of the 18th c., usually in the form Lokalposse. Most examples are comedies, but towards the end of the 19th c. serious Lokalstücke such as Anzengruber's tragedy Das vierte Gebot were written. Other cities for which Lokalstücke have been written include Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt/Main, and Munich. Rural Lokalstücke are most frequent in Tyrol and Upper Austria.