The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 5 letter word SET PIECE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
E
T
P
I
E
C
E
More clues leading to the result SET PIECE
- Article on group having rehearsed play
- What’s become hard to run through without rehearsal initially?
- Rehearsed move’s flat on stage
- Free kick routine producing some fireworks?
- Prepare bishop, eg, for carefully planned play
- Corner section of theatrical scenery
- Solid part in rehearsed manoeuvre
- Firm slice finds corner, say
- Stage scenery for group work
- Appoint to church beyond Pie corner for instance
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Stage scenery/group work" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case stage scenery/group work = set piece.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SET PIECE mean?
SET PIECE noun- A piece of freestanding stage scenery
- Any carefully planned sequence of operations, especially as part of a military operation
- An elaborate and interesting scene in a movie or video game, usually the most important and visually iconic scene in the work.
- Any planned strategy that a team uses after play is restarted with a free kick, penalty kick, corner kick, goal kick, throw-in or kickoff.