Does anyone have any great ideas for promoting Community Theater in a small town?

As a non profit organization you have many things on your favor.

Go to the big companies to get them as a sponsors for your projects. Go to the City hall and present your ideas. If your Ideas are good they will give you support and sponsor your projects. Look in your community if there is a group of people to support the arts.

Now, if what you want is to attract audience you can do this:

Go to schools and colleges around your community, you can do an educational seminars and present highlights of the Play, that will make people get involved with the play and if they like it they will probably go to attend the performance.

Finally You need to do a lot of advertising, contact the local radio station, maybe they will be interested to invite you to one of their programs. Contact your local newspaper and ask them if they can send some one to attend one of the final rehearsals and write something in the news paper recommending the play. Send promotional flayers to the Schools, colleges, to the office for Art and Culture at the City Hall.

I think this will help you

Good Luck

Launch a sweepstakes offering the winner a part in a play but they have to come to your place to get the sign-up form. Call it The Turn Off the TV and Come to the Show sweepstakes. Prepare a press release explaining the sweeps and CALL all of the media so that they promote the idea. Good luck.

Have shows for the schools. Specific field trips where kids (and hopefully parents) are invited to see free shows.

Get the contact information for those kids, or arrange for their school to send flyers for future shows home.

Once kids get excited about something, their parents are happy to take them to an activity once in awhile that keeps them happy for a couple hours.

It's really hard to get the "big city" people to support small town theatre performances. I would suggest sticking to the immediate community in a way that is beneficial to them more than the company.

Advertize in the newspaper. Whatever the major paper is in your area. Put up fliers at the supermarket. Pass out fliers in front of the market.

The cable tv carrier in your area should be able to lend a studio for you to make a commercial for their "local tv" commercial breaks. Also maybe can lend a studio for you to produce a play to broadcast on their "community access" channel. That might bring some interest.

Post flyers, and also go to Meetup.com, and set up a page for the theatre. You couls also try listing it on craigslist.org. Just list it under the closest major city near you.

Advertise that you'll be having nibbles and drinks after the event where the good folk can meet the actors. That would get me out there.

You could do a shows with local and regional kids. Parents will definitely pay to see their kids perform in a play.