Crossword Genius

During first part of play, venue is empty still (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

inactive

'still' is the definition.
(I know that still can be written as inactive)

'during first part of play venue is empty' is the wordplay.
'during' becomes 'in' (e.g. during February means in February).
'first part of play' becomes 'Act I' (Act 1 in a play).
'is empty' says to hollow out the word (remove centre letters).
'venue' with its centre taken out is 've'.
'in'+'acti'+'ve'='INACTIVE'

(Other definitions for inactive that I've seen before include "Resting" , "Still" , "sluggish" , "Unoccupied" , "Idle, showing no movement" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app