Various acts in the play (4)
I believe the answer is:
cast
'the play' is the definition.
(cast is a kind of play)
'various acts' is the wordplay.
'various' indicates anagramming the letters.
'acts' anagrammed gives 'CAST'.
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for cast that I've seen before include "Team of actors in a play" , "Squint to see" , "Discard; mould" , "Dramatis personae" , "Complement of actors in a play" .)