Perform better in a banned drama (7)
I believe the answer is:
outplay
'perform better' is the definition.
(to outplay someone is to perform better than them)
'a banned drama' is the wordplay.
'a banned' becomes 'out'.
'drama' becomes 'play' (synonyms).
'out'+'play'='OUTPLAY'
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for outplay that I've seen before include "As sportsperson, overcome" , "Act better" , "Excel at games" , "Perform better than" , "Defeat (sport)" .)