Understood a bit of an act from an orator? (4)
I believe the answer is:
seen
'understood' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'a bit of an act from an orator?' is the wordplay.
'a bit of an act' becomes 'scene' (theatrical acts are divided into scenes).
'from an orator?' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue (an orator is someone giving a speech).
'scene' sounds like 'SEEN'.
(Other definitions for seen that I've seen before include "Perceived by sight" , "Spotted" , "Observed or percieved" , "Sighted" , "Viewed" .)