This year, more and more kids are enrolling in performance arts camps in the hope that it could kick-start their career in the big time. And with hundreds of camps to choose from, children (and their parents) are spoiled for choice.

"More children are reaching for fame than ever before, " said Ros Hubbard, who discovered Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and has cast Irish children in such films as Angela's Ashes, Evelyn and War of the Buttons. "The concept of fame has become much more reachable. Children watch programmes like X-factor and think, 'that could be me'."

Being famous is becoming a career choice for many more children these days, with one in 10 children in the UK saying they would quit school tomorrow to become a celebrity.

The Singing Summer Camp in Donegal is for children of 10 years and up who could be "the next Pop Idol". For one week from 14-19 August, children will be given an intensive course in singing solo, in a small group and in a large group by professional tutors.

"There was a huge rise in the area of kids looking for singing courses and a lot of anxious parents calling us saying their child wanted to do this and they couldn't find anything for them, " said Daithi Ramsay of An Grianan Theatre in Letterkenny, which is running the camp.

"We find there are a lot of people who can sing, but who don't use their voice properly. So this camp will help young people find their voice, while some of the older ones might want to bring it further. We have almost an entire class of girls from a local school who have decided they want to be famous."

"What we try to remind our children is that even if you manage to become famous, there are massive restrictions to your life, " said Hubbard. "You can't walk down the street without being mobbed, everything you do is reported and you have no freedom whatsoever. The problem is, children themselves have no freedom or privacy, precisely because they are children. It can be difficult for them to understand the harder side of fame."

Demand for performance art camps is especially high in Waterford this year, with news that a professional production of The Sound of Music will arrive in the city this autumn and seek local children to perform. From 14-28 August, theatre director Gary Power will be offering children aged 8-18 an intensive week of acting and audition preparation, culminating in an endof-week performance.

"Each camp will be an intense week where the kids will work hard, while having fun, " he said. "This is not about me entertaining them for a week. This is about coming in from 10am-5pm every day, learning new skills, learning lines and ultimately performing. At the end of it, they will be extremely well prepared for auditions for other shows."

The Irish Academy of Dramatic Arts in Dun Laoghaire is preparing to launch its 16th annual summer courses from 10-28 July. 'Act, Dance, Sing' caters for six-18 year olds and covers all elements of performing from hip-hop, jazz and mime to breath control and character development.

"We find our courses attract a lot of children who are interested in performance arts but want to find out what it's like before committing to a fulltime course, " said academy director, Joy Forsythe. "We have children who love it and see it as a future for them and we do have castings throughout the year, but we keep it low-key. We don't want it to get competitive. We're here to build their self-confidence, not damage it."

In Gary Power's camp last year, one child went on to play the lead role in the Olympia Theatre's production of Bugsy Malone, while several others appeared in the Royal Variety Performance in Waterford last autumn.

"I have found that many summer camps will just be for one week without following it through and that's not great, " said Power. "We try to involve the kids in further productions. Our aim is to encourage new talent, create new talent and hopefully some will go on to audition."