Irene made her theater debut in 1962 with the plays "Aconteceu em
Irkutsk" (It happened in Irkutsk) and "Aonde vais Isabel?" (Where are
you going Isabel?). She also worked in many other plays like: "A
Ratoeira" of Agatha Christie (1971) and "Afinal uma mulher de negócios"
of Fassbinder (1981).