Play - is probably interchangeable with performance
No, it's not interchangeable. You can perform other things besides a play. A comedy revue, for example.
Just as show should be accepted as well.
Hvad er forskellen på "forestilling" og "optræden"? Tak
Skuespillerne could mean actresses as well as actors, right?
Yes, it is a gender-neutral term
Why was the sentence not given as "Han efterlod skuespillerne under forestillingen" ?? I have read that "forlade" is used when no people/things left behind and "efterlade" when someone goes and the others stay behind.