Play in the morning, a way to get up (5)
I believe the answer is:
drama
'play' is the definition.
('drama' can be a synonym of 'play')
'morning a way to get up' is the wordplay.
'morning' becomes 'am'.
'a way' becomes 'ard' (I've seen this in other clues**).
'to get up' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'am'+'ard'='amard'
'amard' backwards is 'DRAMA'.
'in the' is the link.
(Other definitions for drama that I've seen before include "interesting spectacles?" , "High emotion" , "Play - crisis" , "Theatrical entertainment" , "Literary play" .)