Try out pen, briefly, noting this company should perform well (6)
I believe the answer is:
troupe
This might be a double definition.
'try out pen briefly noting this company should' is the first definition.
'troupe' can be an answer for 'company' (synonyms). I am not certain of the remainder of the definition.
'perform well' is the second definition.
'troupe' can be an answer for 'perform' (thesaurus). I am not sure about the 'well' bit.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for troupe that I've seen before include "Group of touring players" , "travelling band" , "Our pet (anag) - company of performers" , "A company of actors or acrobats" , "Group of touring actors" .)