Where people gather to see a lighthearted orator half-cut (5)
I believe the answer is:
agora
'where people gather to' is the definition.
The answer is a location as well as being a singular noun. This is suggested by the definition.
'a lighthearted orator half-cut' is the wordplay.
'a lighthearted' becomes 'ag' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'half cut' suggests halving the letters.
'orator' with half the letters taken is 'ora'.
'ag'+'ora'='AGORA'
'see' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for agora that I've seen before include "meeting place" , "Marketplace in Athens" , "11 [LOLLY] to Ben-Gurion" , "market in Athens" , "Assembly or market place in ancient Greece" .)