Irene Daniels responded to one of our general requests for volunteer assistance and has been a vital member of the company ever since, spending many seasons worth of performances in the dressing room fitting and repairing costumes and helping the cast in and out of their wardrobes.

Her needlecrafts have dressed our productions for more than a decade. Although she spends much time taking a quick stitch here and there, you cannot get her to do a job with less than an artist's eye and a craftsman's hand. Could be a question of genes; her father was an upholsterer. Almost every CCCT show has something in it that she's worked on, be it costumes or the set.

Irene says that, "being part of CCCT is a very rewarding experience. She enjoys the ambiance and camaraderie and has great admiration for the dedication and hard work of the actors (who are also volunteers) and everyone involved whose immediate goal is the pursuit of dreams and to give pleasure to those who come to see the performances."

Irene was born in London, eventually moving to Paris and attending the Sorbonne. She landed a job at the British Embassy where she worked for 5 years. During this time she was fortunate to know people connected to the Haute Couture which presented opportunities to visit design ateliers and attend fashion shows. This peek into the fashion world was icing on the gateau for Irene as she has always had an abiding interest in textiles and fashion. Several years ago she began silk painting. Now, in her spare time she uses the techniques to design and make wearable art.

In 1967 Irene had the opportunity to visit and stay temporarily in the United States. Initially, she lived briefly in San Jose but soon moved to Berkeley. Her original intention was to return to Paris after 3 months in California and 3 months in New York but, quite by chance, she met Derek, the man who would eventually become her husband. Four years later they were married in the little red church in Yosemite. They finally visited New York 30 years later.

At CCCT, we have great affection for all who come out to volunteer; our productions would be much poorer without them. If Irene ever moves away we'll need ten amazing people to replace her. We hope that is a long way off.