Showman's Activities as a Profession, Art, and Vocation

The purpose of the article is to explore the main personal qualities, character traits, professional skills that determine and form the priority requirements for the showman and his activities. Research methodology. The author of the article applies general scientific and special methods of scientific knowledge, in particular, analysis, synthesis, and generalisation, to formulate conclusions. The integrated use of methodological tools of art studies, socio-psychological and systematic approaches allowed us to consider the profession and personality of the showman as a holistic system that is constantly being transformed and adapted to the sociocultural needs of the present day and the audience. Scientific novelty. The article attempts to systematise the main personal qualities, character traits, and skills that form a number of requirements for the profession and personality of a modern showman. Conclusions. A showman is an entertainer, organiser of group activities and shows, artist, host, and often both an organiser and a manager of show business. The innate talent, personal qualities, character traits, and versatile professional skills determine the priority requirements for the showman and his activities. Thus, in the stage image of a showman visual, individual and psychological, verbal, event, communicative, social, professional, and personal components are organically intertwined, which make the showman’s art the closest to reality and relevant requirements of modern times, in particular, the changing needs and interests of the audience. One of the main characteristics of a successful showman is charisma as a kind of art and talent that determines the impression of the showman in the eyes of the audience, which is often closely related to his appearance and communicative qualities