History of the Theatre

Budapest Puppet Theatre has a history stretching back more than seventy years; several generations have grown up watching its performances. It has had its golden ages and iconic productions and has been able to respond to the changes and cultural influences around it. It is Budapest’s only permanent theatre whose defined genre is PUPPET THEATRE.

The History of Budapest Puppet Theatre

Since 1949, following the motto ‘Puppetry is not an age group, but a genre’, Budapest Puppet Theatre – the Euro

pean Union’s largest professional puppet theatre - has been welcoming audiences with its own permanent ensemble and dedicated venues.

The Early Years and Founding

The institutionalisation of professional puppetry in Hungary began in October 1949 in the building at 69 Andrássy street, which had previously housed the Old Art Gallery and later the National Chamber Theatre. Under the leadership of László Bod, the first director of the State Puppet Theatre, the theatre developed its repertoire in its early years by following the methods of Russian-Soviet puppetry; alongside fairy-tale plays for children, puppet cabarets for adults were also performed to great popularity.

Amidst the political and cultural restrictions of the time, the institution served as a unique, intellectual refuge: artists deemed undesirable, such as Lili Ország and Miklós Mészöly, found temporary creative freedom and a modest income here. Following the banning of his art form, Henrik Kemény, a master of traditional carnival puppetry, joined this workshop.

The Szilágyi Era: Institutional Development and Artistic Renewal

The longest and most defining period in the history of the State Puppet Theatre is tied to the directorship of Dezső Szilágyi, who led the theatre for thirty-four years, from 1958 to 1992. Under his leadership, the theatre gained international recognition and moved out of the boundaries of a purely children’s theatre. The theatre’s unique, internationally acclaimed artistic identity was shaped not only by Dezső Szilágyi but also by the creative worlds of director Kató Szőnyi and designers Iván Koós and Vera Bródy. Outstanding puppeteers such as Imre Pataky, Henrik Gyurkó and Márta Szakály made an everlasting contribution to bringing the puppets to life and raising the theatre’s standing. It was during this period that the musical, classical and literary adaptations (works by Bartók and Stravinsky, and plays by Shakespeare) were created, which laid the foundations for the theatre’s international reputation. In 1992, the theatre was renamed to Budapest Puppet Theatre.

Contemporary outreach and modernisation

Following the change of regime, János Meczner took over the management of the institution in 1994; during his quarter-century-long leadership, the theatre’s structure and artistic identity went through a significant renewal. Under Meczner’s leadership, a stable workshop of high artistic calibre was established, which became open to unconventional directorial experiments, whilst maintaining a repertoire of classic tales alongside bold, thematically challenging productions aimed at adult audiences.

From 2020, Edina Ellinger took over as head of the institution – under her leadership, Budapest Puppet Theatre has successfully responded to contemporary challenges, whilst further strengthening the presence of multidisciplinary forms, experiments that push the boundaries of puppetry, and the involvement of younger generations of creators and international productions in its repertoire.

Today, Budapest Puppet Theatre is not only the centre of Hungarian puppetry but also one of the capital’s most innovative and in-demand artistic workshops, which, by organically shaping the city’s cultural life, fosters dialogue between a wide variety of generations and artistic disciplines.