Yes, stages is a Scrabble word!

Verb

1. Perform (a play), especially on a stage

2. Plan, organize, and carry out (an event)

3. Attend a dance or a party without a female companion

4. Give away information about somebody

5. Watch, observe, or inquire secretly

Noun

1. Any distinct time period in a sequence of events

2. A specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process

3. A large platform on which people can stand and can be seen by an audience

4. The theater as a profession (usually `the stage')

5. A large coach-and-four formerly used to carry passengers and mail on regular routes between towns

6. A section or portion of a journey or course

7. Any scene regarded as a setting for exhibiting or doing something

8. A small platform on a microscope where the specimen is mounted for examination