A somewhat old-fashioned or literary term for a person who performs in or works at a theater. In modern Japanese, 俳優 (はいゆう) or 役者 (やくしゃ) are more common for 'actor/actress'.
Compound of 芝居 (しばい, 'play, drama') and 者 (もの, 'person'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used since the Edo period to refer to theater people.
