Working in the theatre? (9)
I believe the answer is:
operating
'working' is the definition.
('operate' can be a synonym of 'work')
'in the theatre?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'in' is present in the answer.
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is located in the answer.
'theatre?' could be 'opera' (opera is a kind of theatre) and 'opera' is located in the answer.
A single letter 'g' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for operating that I've seen before include "Functioning" , "Performing surgery" , "Directing or controlling, machinery say" , "Active" , "at work" .)