MUSIC teacher Derek Smith has hit the right note with colleagues at a dance and stage school.

They are impressed by a musical he has composed about a fairground puppet.

The big test comes later this week, when his work - Petruska - has its premiere at the Amanda McGlynn Academy of Dance and Theatre arts show, at Stockton, on Saturday.

Fifteen-year-old Eve Pinchin plays the part of male puppet Petruska, while Jayne Gibson, 18, is the princess the puppet falls in love with. Phillip Dune is cast as a pirate who torments Petruska, while Victoria Norton, 19, is a ballerina.

Youngsters who attend the school have just returned from dancing at Disney World, Paris.