#46 Allison Noah | How To Be "The Connector" as Stage Manager
Jan 6, 2026
From one truck to twelve, and the stage manager mindset that keeps tours moving
Some touring lessons only show up when the plan completely falls apart.
Stage manager Allison Noah remembers a bus-and-trailer day where everything went wrong: travel got scrambled, the bus broke down, the trailer didn’t arrive, and the crew still had to make the show happen. Another camp stepped in and loaned what they could, and the day turned into a perfect snapshot of what stage managers really do—make call after call after call, even when there’s no perfect option.
In this episode, Allison breaks down the reality of touring from the person who connects all the moving parts. She’s one of the next-generation leaders on the road, and in 2025 she made a massive leap, joining Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind World Tour after going from a one-truck gig to a 12-truck arena tour almost overnight. She was also nominated for Stage Manager of the Year at the CMA Awards, the only woman in a category of eight.
Allison’s path into live entertainment wasn’t linear. She studied audio engineering, quickly realized she wasn’t a “gearhead,” and leaned into the work she actually loved: advancing, coordinating, and leading. After moving to Nashville and working at City Winery, she got her first touring opportunity the way a lot of people do—fast, intense, and with multiple hats. Her first show came with a real “welcome to touring” moment: she was asked to stage manage while also covering other roles, and she figured it out in real time.
Nikki and Allison dig into what the stage manager role really looks like across venues and tour sizes, including how it differs from a production manager. Allison explains it in a way any crew will recognize: departments are focused on their own lane, and the stage manager is the connector that keeps the whole day moving. That includes coordinating with local labor, working smoothly in union-heavy buildings, and managing the constant traffic flow that can make or break a load-in and load-out.
A few philosophies from this conversation will stick with anyone who’s worked a dock:
“The cart goes” — don’t show up on day one trying to change everything. Learn how the show already moves, then make it better.
“Path is life” — if the path gets blocked, everything slows down, and everyone loses.
Accountability is often as simple as showing someone how their choice affects the entire team.
The most surprising part of the episode isn’t about gear or glamour—it’s the emotional side of leadership. Allison says the most exhausting part of the job is decision fatigue, and it never really stops. Even after you’ve been up since 5:30 a.m. for walk-in, the next wave of decisions hits when openers arrive, questions pile up, and the clock keeps moving. The goal is to keep it all safe, efficient, and human, without losing your patience or your standards.
If you’re a stage manager, aspiring crew lead, touring professional, or someone trying to level up from smaller gigs into bigger rooms, this episode is packed with real-world touring wisdom—and the kind of leadership mindset that makes people want to work with you again.
