"Where were all the theater people?" a friend who works for the Eastern Iowa Community College District asked me a couple weeks ago, as she was leaving Olympia Dukakis' Viewpoint presentation. (The college district is in its second season of presenting the Quad-City speaker series.)

I wish I had an answer for her.

Scanning the sparse crowd at the Adler Theatre, I didn't recognize anyone from area theater groups, those who are onstage and/or behind the scenes.

The Oscar-winning actress considers herself far more of a stage performer/director/ producer, and she had some recommendations for theater companies in her 50-minute presentation.

At a news conference earlier in the evening (see the highlights at www.QCTimes.tv), I asked her what advice she would give to the newer groups:

"There are people in the theater who really care about the quality of life in the community, and they resolve to do not-for-profit theater, not for the purpose of making money. ...

"It's important they communicate with the community and let the community know why they're here and what they're doing so the community begins to feel ownership and that it's 'their' theater, etc.

"A great deal of patience is required."

Dukakis recalled opening her first theater with fellow Boston University graduates shortly after they left college. It was on the third floor of a building, above a Greek restaurant and a German cabinetmaker's shop.

One day when she was discouraged, the German poured her a glass of schnapps and shared his wisdom: "You know, it takes a long time to build a business."

"You have to be in it for the long haul," she said in her own voice. "You can't think it's gonna happen overnight.

"The community has to trust you mean what you say and that you're truly going to stay, not just exercise your craft and leave. (Show) that you really want to be a part of this community.

"Patience, I guess, is what I would say is important."

And patience, I would add, should be the watchword for the organizers behind the speaker series. The crowd earlier this month was a scant several hundred people, and I hope that doesn't discourage the college district from extending it beyond this year.

Extending invitations to interested, logical constituents - theater companies for Dukakis, law students for attorney-author Scott Turow in January and St. Patrick Society members for former Irish President Mary Robinson in April - would benefit both sides involved.

David Burke can be contacted at dburke@qctimes.com. He blogs at Quadsville.com, and can be followed at Twitter.com/entguy1.