Dearth of hard men in acting profession (8)
I believe the answer is:
shortage
'dearth' is the definition.
('shortage' can be a synonym of 'dearth')
'hard men in acting profession' is the wordplay.
'hard' becomes 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications).
'men' becomes 'or' (I've seen this in other clues).
'in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'acting profession' becomes 'stage' (I have seen 'theatrical profession' mean 'stage' so perhaps 'profession' could also mean 'stage'. I am not sure about the 'acting' bit.**).
'h'+'or'='hor'
'hor' inserted within 'stage' is 'SHORTAGE'.
'of' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for shortage that I've seen before include "may put price up" , "Scarcity" , "Want" , "Insufficiency" , "Horse tag (anag.)" .)