Crossword Genius

Person who is holy and ancient presented in the theatre (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

staged

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'person who is holy and ancient presented' is the definition.
The answer and definition are not the same part of speech.

'theatre' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'theatre' could be 'stage' (stage is a kind of theatre) and 'stage' is found in the answer.
A single letter 'd' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'in the' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for staged that I've seen before include "(Of play/opera) mounted" , "Organised (a performance)" , "Mounted (a play)" , "Put on play or other performance" , "Orchestrated" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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