Child actors preen confidently on our screens, while young would-be popstrels strut their stuff on the Late Late Toy Showf much to the public's apparent chagrin.

What we rarely see is the other side of this coinf the long hours of practice, the difficult balance of rehearsal and schoolwork, the fierce competition, and . . . worst of all . . . the rejection.

And what of the parents? Are they merely attempting to live out their own unfulfilled dreams through their offspring?

Granted, the pay-off for such sacrifice is tantalizingly lucrative, but for the vast majority of these parents, such dreams come at a price. Many of them are wholeheartedly willing to centre their day-to-day lives around their young wannabes.

Samantha Mumba & Sarah Moloney Founders of Samsara Drama School and ex-Billie Barry pupils In contrast to many parents' protestations about not pushing their children into showbiz careers, Sarah Moloney observes that many parents do in fact prompt their children to attend drama classes.

"To this day, friends of mine are raging that their parents never put them into the Billie Barry school, " she says. "The kids don't ever say, 'Mammy, put me in drama school.' It's really up to the parents to instigate it."

Nevertheless, Sarah and Samantha have nothing but fond memories of their years as Billie Barry kids.

"I loved the dancing, the performance aspect of itf meeting new friends, the chance to do some TV work, " Sarah recalls. "Sometimes it was quite serious; we were professional kids and there was certainly a standard that had to be reached, but it was always fun. The other bonus of the school is that you make these friends and contacts."

Adds Samantha: "Being at the school really teaches kids about stage presence. I have been doing this since I was three, so I have no recollection of life before it! The friends are a huge part of the drama-school experience, but for kids it's just great to be active like that."

One of these contacts proved instrumental for Sarah; having subsequently trained as a professional dancer, Sarah began teaching at other stage schools.

At the height of her pop career, Samantha had been thinking about opening a school and "giving something back"; to that end, the pair opened their Samsara drama school in Donnycarney last September.

"When I got my record deal and went to London and the US for work, the style of the English and American dancers was just so different to what we knew here, " she explains.

"I had friends who couldn't keep up with the changing trends in the UK and US, and I reckoned that Irish dancers should be just as good as them. I love the idea of teaching kids this stufff eventually we're hoping to have some American dancers teach at the school."

Though currently based in LA, Samantha ensures that she is there at the beginning of terms and is rarely away from the school for more than a month. For these aspiring stars, surely being taught by a recognisable pop star takes some getting used to?

"Not really, " she smiles. "We're pretty hands-on, so it's just Sara and Sam, the dance teachers. I haven't put out anything (musically) in a while, so maybe it would change if they saw their dance teacher on the TV more often."

The school drafted in Paul Harrington as voice coach, while Samantha makes a point of keeping track of her charges' progress. Little wonder, then, that the waiting list for the school is forbiddingly long.

"We are doing really well, considering we never advertised, " enthuses Samantha. "It's been word of mouth more than anything. I suppose my association hasn't done any harm, but the point is we don't make a big deal out of it."

"Some mothers just want their kids to be more confident, " concludes Sarah. "I'd hate to think that parents were forcing their kids to go to the school. Really, it's not so much that they want kids to fulfil their dreams; they just want to give their children the opportunities they never had."

For information on the Samsara School, log onto www. samsaraschool. ie, or call 08333 39338 Irene O'Driscoll, Ashbourne 'Do you think it's worth all this? This is crazy' Mum-of-two Irene admits that she had no idea just how prestigious the Billie Barry Drama School in Marino was when she sent her 10-year-old son Simon there.

"I know of a friend who put her son forward and was devastated when he didn't get through, " she explains. "Simon did a four-week trial for the school, after which kids are either accepted or they are told to try again at another stage. But Simon was accepted straight away."

At the grand age of 10, Simon has racked up an impressive CV . . . having played Oisin in Fair City for three years, appearing in the Jerry Bruckheimer film Veronica Guerin, and starring in numerous stage productions. Correspondingly, Simon's pursuits have become a full-time occupation for the entire family.

"When he did panto at Christmas, there were rehearsals six days a week and we had to drive him to Synge Street every day from Ashbourne, " recalls Irene, who also has a 22year-old son David, a trainee chef. "I'm thinking of putting a sign up in the car . . . 'Simon's Taxi'.

"His dad wanted to step it back a gear, " she adds. "He used to say while we were doing all the driving around, 'Do you think it's worth all this? This is crazy.' But when you see how much Simon loves it, you really can't say no. It's a huge commitment and you effectively have to put your life on hold for months at a time."

With Simon's acting career looking healthy ("he gets recognised in the street, which has taken some getting used to, " says Irene), there are still those times when auditions don't go to plan. As devastating as rejection can be, Irene asserts that it's all a part of growing up.

"Before he goes to an audition, we say, 'You have been very lucky to have gotten some work, and it may be someone else's turn today, '" she explains.

"If he didn't get something he'd be a bit put out, but it would only last about 30 minutes. Besides, he has to learn you don't get everything in life."

Despite the occasional setback, Simon's life has already become a whirlwind of film sets, TV scripts and backstage areas. As exciting as it sounds, Irene insists that she is unfazed by such glamorous backdrops.

"I go to film sets and out to RTE, but I take it with a pinch of salt, " she explains. "It's not a case of, 'If it all ended tomorrow, what would I do?' I certainly wouldn't wish for Simon to be famous. Whether he'll make it I don't know, but he's certainly heading in the right direction."

For information on the Billie Barry Drama School, call 01 8332522 Phil Connolly, Maynooth 'He knows he has a great talent' Like many drama school kids, 12-year-old Craig Connolly finds the task of juggling schoolwork with his drama activities an arduous one.

"We often have to do homework in the car when we're going from A to B, " says mum Phil. It can be very manic. It's very hard for him to settle down, particularly during or before a show. He'd be jumping for joy if I said he never had to go to school again."

With Craig suffering from dyslexia, Phil decided to enroll him at the Adele King Theatre School, in an effort to build the youngster's confidence.

"One of Craig's assessors at school said he was like a bubbling ball, and such a character, " recalls Phil. "The drama has brought out what he's lacking in school and so it has worked a treat. He would get upset at not being able to get 100% in maths, but now he knows he has a great talent."

In a slightly surreal turn of events, Phil now has a 'hotline to Twink', and the drama school dame has become a confidante to Craig and his aspirant actress sister Victoria, now eight.

"Adele always says, 'Craig, you're sitting on the floorf get used to it, '" says Phil. "Craig goes to her for advice and she'll go to auditions with him. She tells him to build a bridge and get over it, like when he got several recalls for Oliver Stone's Alexander and it didn't happen. That side of it is great . . . getting to meet various celebrities. He'll be hugging all these stars he's working with, while we're the ones getting star struck!"

For information on the Adele King Theatre School, log onto www. akts. ie or call 087 988 2587 Liz Barry, Dublin 'I think it's sad to push kids too hard' When asked whether she forced her two children (14-year-old Leah and 12-year-old Briony) into drama school, Liz Barry is adamant that daughter Briony did all the pushing.

"We were passing a community hall one night where this big drama production was happening, " she remembers. "Briony was looking in the glass, when she looked up at us and said, 'This is what I want to do.' I'm very much of the school of thought that kids develop their own agenda."

Having starred in short films and cut a dash at the National Concert Hall, Briony . . . now a student at the Stagecoach drama school . . . is already harbouring dreams about being a serious actress, much to her parents' consternation.

"Even when she was younger, she would say, 'How can I get a manager?'" laughs Liz. "Her uncle was Dermot Morgan [of Father Ted fame], so perhaps there is something in the genes.

She's already talking about attending a drama school for her gap year in school.

"Some of the other parents have their children registered at agencies and suchlike from an early age. I think it's sad to push kids like that."

Liz was initially drawn to the Stagecoach school in Dublin because they have what she describes as a 'less cut-throat' attitude to the industry.

"Interestingly, this school is much more low-key. I'm aware that if she was in another school I'd meet mums who have a direct line to all the agents. I'm tremendously proud of Briony, but you can notice in other mums that they might be trying to live their dreams through their children."

With much of the family's resources and energy being channelled into Briony's foundling showbiz career, Liz is certain that older sister Leah feels little resentment towards her sister.

"Initially, Leah had issues with the amount of time taken up by this, but now she's her own person and has her own talents, " observes Liz. "She respects the fact that Briony is a good singerf perhaps if they were younger there might be more jealousy or competition there."

For information on the Stagecoach Theatre School, log onto www. stagecoach. co. uk or call 01 280 333 Collette O'Dwyer, Castleknock 'He idolised Twink from the beginning' Another one of Adele King's young hopefuls, 12-year-old Kevin O'Dwyer is seeing his dreams come true since meeting Adele at a summer camp in Blanchardstown five years ago.

"He idolized Adele from the beginning, " notes mum Collette.

"Sometimes we're like, 'Hang on, we're your parents!'" A year after enrolling in the theatre school, Kevin got his first big break . . . starring opposite Angela Lansbury in the TV movie The Blackwater Lightship. "He's very shy and quiet about it, " says Collette. "When the film was showing over Christmas he didn't want me to tell his classmates or his teacher."

With Kevin's hard work seemingly paying off handsomely, younger sister Sorcha has also decided to get in on the act.

"Sorcha gets a big buzz out of Kevin's acting roles . . . she does attend the drama school too but I think she prefers sport, " observes Collette. "If any of them decided they didn't want to go, it's something we are open to."

Despite the fact that lucrative parts are few and far between for Irish child actors, Collette contends that there is little rivalry between the youngsters or parents as they fight for an allimportant piece of the pie.

"When the kids are up for parts together there's no competition at allf they hug each other and wish each other the best, " she says.