Showmanship, concerning artistic performing such as in

Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

, is the skill of performing in such a manner that will appeal to an audience or aid in conveying the performance's essential theme or message. For instance, the

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

stage magician Doug Henning used many classic illusions in his magic show. However, he made the old material seem new by rejecting the old stylistic cliches of the art (such as wearing

formal wear Formal wear or full dress is the Western dress code category applicable for the most formal occasions, such as weddings, Baptism, christenings, confirmations, funerals, Easter traditions, Easter and Christmas traditions, in addition to certain ...

), and by presenting them with a childlike exuberance that respected the audience's intelligence. Profitable showmanship frequently appeals to

pathos Pathos appeals to the emotions and ideals of the audience and elicits feelings that already reside in them. ''Pathos'' is a term most often used in rhetoric (in which it is considered one of the three modes of persuasion, alongside ethos and ...

. Showmen aim to display goods with tact in order to sell an object or a show.

Notes

Theatre {{Theat-stub