Taylor Swift Concerts Inspired by Childhood Theater Experiences

Taylor Swift's Speak Now tour, which kicked off in the U.S. last week, is perhaps the biggest and most extravagant show of her career. Taylor gave fans a sneak peek at her Speak Now ... Help Now dress rehearsal in May, while also raising money for tornado relief. The show, which the 21-year-old says she has dreamed of since she was a little girl, promises pyrotechnics, multiple video screens, choreographed dance routines and numerous set changes.

"The first time that I fell in love with performing is when I went to go see theater in my hometown in Pennsylvania," Taylor says (quote via Billboard.com). "I would see it done incredibly well -- going to see Broadway plays of 'Wicked' -- things like that just really inspired me from an early age to love putting on a theatrical performance where there are story lines and characters, and you're always seeing a scene change into another scene. I love telling a story in any way possible."

The singer-songwriter says putting the tour together is as important to her as finishing an album. "We spent months going over the set list and just thinking of where things would go," she acknowledges. "Which ones would segue well into other songs and how we could tell individual stories. I didn't want to tell one big story. I wanted each song to have its own story."

The superstar, who raised almost one million dollars for tornado recovery efforts, says she hasn't ruled out doing a similar show next year. "I have no idea if I would ever want to make it something that's an annual thing," she notes. "It was so perfect for the moment. And you've gotta live life that way. When moments pop up and things pop up, take these things on a case-by-case basis."

Taylor will play a series of shows in Florida, plus she'll make stops in Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan, before heading back to Music City, where she will play on Sunday, June 12, as the final act for the CMA Music Festival. Keep track of her schedule here.

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