Hungarian puppet company. Founded in 1949, the Napsugár Bábegyüttes (which translates as Sunshine Puppet Troupe or Ensemble) is one of the oldest puppetry troupes in Hungary, operating in Békéscsaba, in the south-eastern part of the country. Its repertoire is mostly composed of tales and music inspired by popular tradition (Kádár Kata and Mónár Anna by Zoltán Kodály, 1962; Cantata Profana by Béla Bartók, 1972). Konrád Lenkefi (1937-1995) was the company’s manager, stage director and set designer until his death.

Napsugár Bábegyüttes has been a professional company since January 2005, under the direction of Zoltán Lenkefi (b.1977), the son of Konrád Lenkefi. The company organizes the International Puppet Festival for Children.

(See Hungary.)