CREATIVE chaos, sniggers and aching arms galore brought locals together at the frenetic first workshop for "Avenue Q à la Blackbird Leys".

Residents are gearing up for a home-grown production of the American musical, which is a zany adult take on Sesame Street featuring a cast of both puppets and humans.

On Friday, April 22, the first crop of actors gathered for a foundation skills workshop with Grimsby-based puppet company One Way UK.

Co-organiser Denise Morrey said: "We have about 15 puppets at the moment and are trying to encourage more people to get involved in this production.

"A few of us went to a workshop at the end of January with One Way and enjoyed it enormously. They are very nice and friendly.

"They did songs with us and got us doing a dance routine; quite a few of their songs are Sister-Act type pop songs that have been adapted and were good fun."

Over the next six months participants will get to know their puppets better while learning lines and choreographed routines for a November spectacular.

Avenue Q follows the struggles and joys of wide-eyed college graduate Princeton as he tries to find his way in the world from a shabby street in 'outer outer New York'.

The West End and Broadway sell-out is normally an R-rated production but the Blackbird Leys version will use a schools-appropriate adaptation of the script, with sex and swearing omitted. Among its key themes are neighbourliness and acceptance, which Ms Morrey said were "really strong" themes on the estate.

She added: "It will be Avenue Q à la Blackbird Leys; we are hoping that our scenery will have Windrush and Evenlode Tower.

"It's about diversity and people being accepted into the community and finding the things that are important.

"For people who were maybe not so confident we thought it would be nice to be able to speak through a puppet and not feel like they were in the spotlight."

At the workshop, residents chose their favourite puppets and bumped and jived their way through several routines while getting to grips with arm rods.

A Christian firm, One Way normally builds puppets for churches and community projects as well as schools as a therapy aid.

Company director David Jones said cultivating a puppet's character and keeping one arm up for several hours on end are the most gruelling parts of becoming a puppeteer.

Participant Lee Brackett, 37, said: "The first workshop was really good. People were getting involved and just coming together and enjoying the puppets.

"There's a lot to learn but we will just keep practicing. It's quite vocal and energetic, and keeping your hand up is good exercise."

Fellow resident Sasha East added: "With puppets you can express yourself in a way that normally you might be too shy to. There's a naughty side that comes out easily when my arm is up a puppet."

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, April 28 at 6.30pm in the church in Cuddesdon Way. Participants must be aged 16 or over.