Western vs. Global Art

Is the term “Global Theatre” predicate on the concept that anything other than “Western” is “other” and that there is Western theatre and then all others? For Westerners, yes to a certain degree since we do live in the Western world, are being trained in a distinctly Western theatre tradition, and will most likely work in that tradition. Yes, we will see non-Western theatre as “other.” We certainly have the ability and freedom to try any type of experimentation with our own theatrical endeavors but if we are to make money from other theatre producers, particularly mainstream ones, then we will work in a Western tradition.
In the same vein, students and artists in non-Western cultures have their traditions at their fingertips. Yoruba rituals, Beijing Opera, and Noh theatre have not had the heart and soul of the art form altered by exposure to Western theatre artists-staging techniques such as lights and other accoutrement perhaps but not the cultural heart and soul. Japanese national culture has, of course, been drastically affected by the Western infusion that occurred in post-World War II. Butoh is a direct reaction to that cultural interference and even a reaction to its own artistic heritage. Noh was developed as a courtly art so perhaps the reaction we see is as much about class as national identity.
We, as responsible and open hearted artists, need to be able to see the storytelling within other art forms and be able to be influenced and borrow from those aesthetics. As long as we are constantly cognizant of our egocentrism (and all human beings are capable of self-centeredness and cultural supremacy) we can at least try to look at these other ways of expressing the human story as on an even keel.
We are global citizens and should be as concerned for the state of human relations in Nigeria, China, Iran, Venezuela, and Louisville. Whatever of value we take from all the art forms we will encounter in our own artistic journeys we must be able to reach the audience we intend to reach, whether that is a group of manual laborers needing to take charge of their own destiny or Broadway producers.