play-actor vs thespian

play-actor and thespian both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
play-actor	Yes	No	No	No
thespian	Yes	Yes	No	No

As nouns, thespian is a hypernym of play-actor; that is, thespian is a word with a broader meaning than play-actor:

Other hypernyms of play-actor include actor, histrion, player, role player.

play-actor (noun)	thespian (noun)
an actor who travels around the country presenting plays	a theatrical performer

play-actor (adjective)	thespian (adjective)
	of or relating to drama