The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 4 letter word ROLE PLAY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
R
O
L
E
P
L
A
Y
More clues leading to the result ROLE PLAY
- Look around in theatre, place for acting
- Bungled op? Really pretend to be someone else
- Represent another year, poll must be ordered
- Loyal rep excited to take part in training
- Head off clear ploy to train acting in character?
- Hero of the Rovers absorbing French articles about pressure and acting out situations
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "acting" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case acting = role play.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does ROLE PLAY mean?
ROLE PLAY verb- To Take on a role (in the sense an actor has a role) and enacting or playing that character.