Practise? Tries once more close to stage (8)
I believe the answer is:
rehearse
'practise?' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'tries once more close to stage' is the wordplay.
'tries once more' becomes 'rehears' ('hears' can be a synonym for 'tries' so perhaps 'rehears' is OK for 'tries once more').
'close to' suggests the final letters (the 'close' to the word).
The final letter of 'stage' is 'e'.
'rehears'+'e'='REHEARSE'
(Other definitions for rehearse that I've seen before include "What actor does to prepare for play" , "prepare for performance" , "Go over" , "Train" , "Practice in theatre" .)