Taylor Swift Channels Broadway for Stage Production on Her Speak Now Tour

When it comes to setting out on an arena tour, artists are under a lot of pressure to think of new and amazing ways to entertain their audiences. The music alone isn't enough anymore, as wildly elaborate stage productions have become to staple for larger-scale tours. 'Mean' songstress Taylor Swift -- who just kicked off her Speak Now tour -- recently shared the inspiration behind the stage production, from props to pyrotechnics, of her latest tour.

According to a report from Billboard.com, Ms. Swift is pulling out all of the stops on her tour, which started on May 27 in Omaha, Neb. "Lighted trees, pyrotechnics, dancers popping up from the stage, aerialists twirling above the eight-piece band, nine costume changes, multiple set changes, a floor-sweeping mime, confetti, a satellite stage and a small, gazebo-ish lift that took her over the crowd," are just some of the things included in Ms. Swift's well-oiled, awe-inspiring two-hour performance.

"The first time that I fell in love with performing is when I went to go see theater in my hometown in Pennsylvania," Swift says after a performance in Des Moines. "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 storylines and characters, and you're always seeing a scene change into another scene. I love telling a story in any way possible."

So much preparation has gone into the tour, as well, and Billboard said the set list and theatrics flowed beautifully into one another. "We spent months going over the set list and just thinking of where things would go, which ones would segue well into other songs and how we could tell individual stories," Swift continues. "I didn't want to tell one big story. I wanted each song to have its own story."

This one sounds like a summer tour not to be missed! To see if Taylor is coming to a town near you, click here to check out her entire list of Speak Now tour dates.

Watch a Fan Video of Taylor Swift Performing 'Enchanted' on the Speak Now Tour