Show's off as director is at drama school (8)
I believe the answer is:
displays
'show's off' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'director is at drama school' is the wordplay.
'director' becomes 'd'.
'at' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'drama' becomes 'play' ('play' can be a synonym of 'drama'**).
'school' becomes 's'.
'd'+'is'+'play'+'s'='DISPLAYS'
'as' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for displays that I've seen before include "Sid plays badly and exhibits" , "Arranges for inspection, shows" .)