Crossword Genius

Central company in theatre production (2,3,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

at the core

'central' is the definition.

'company in theatre production' is the wordplay.
'company' becomes 'co' (abbreviation).
'in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'production' indicates an anagram.
'theatre' with letters rearranged gives 'atthere'.
'co' placed inside 'atthere' is 'AT THE CORE'.

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.