Hungarian troupe of amateur puppeteers. Founded in 1953 in Budapest by László Vízvári, Astra Bábegyüttes is one of the oldest and most important amateur companies in the country. Many artists who subsequently went on to become significant figures in professional puppetry in Hungary began their careers with this troupe. Its repertoire features tales for children and musical shows for adults. The director of the troupe was László Vizvári (1919-2003) from 1953 until his death.

String puppets are most often used and Astra’s most well known productions are Philemon és Baucis (Philemon and Baucis, 1956), adapted from the work by Joseph Haydn, and A bűvészinas (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, 1962), based on the symphonic work by Paul Dukas.

(See Hungary.)