ABOUT SIDE/STEP

This is the second edition of Side/Step Festival.

Side/Step made its first appearance in February 2025 in response to the rapid loss of spaces for artists creating experimental work. With the closure of opportunities such as performing at The Vault Festival, many artists felt the blow of not having a space to showcase their work and the freedom to play. This inspired us to create our own festival for artists who want to try something new and meet a community of creative people.

The first ever edition of Side/Step took place in a small, unused restaurant in the heart of Islington and could squeeze in about 40 people. It was intimate, it was vibrant, and it sparked a sense of joy and community. We are so grateful we were able to make it happen and support the work of so many people, so we decided to make this a recurring event…

The festival had three aims:

  1. Use non-typical spaces to create opportunities outside institutional structures.

  2. Encourage collaboration across artistic disciplines.

  3. Platform emerging artists brave enough to try something new.

MEET THE TEAM

Dominika Uçar - Artistic Director

Hannah Gintberg Dees - Creative Producer

Our lovely producers, both current and past, include: Morgan Brame, Amber Williams, Reese Campbell

  • Dominika Uçar

    ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

    Dominika is a London based theatre-maker, director, producer and visual artist. She is a co-founder of Deadweight, with which she has been making work since 2022. Alongside curating Side/Step, she is also the lead producer for the award winning The Manikins, and director of Roadside, which made its return to Trinity Bristol and The Cockpit Theatre this Spring and is touring the UK in 2026. Other directing credits include RUBBERNECKS at La Farola and Mosquitoes at Bedlam Theatre, both of which received 5 stars. She holds a BA in Painting from The University of Edinburgh and an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Dominika is also the Festival Programming Producer for this year’s Invitational Theatre Festival at COLAB Theatre.

  • Hannah Gintberg Dees

    CREATIVE PRODUCER

    Hannah Gintberg-Dees is a Danish/American interdisciplinary theatre maker. She is a co-founder of Deadweight. Under Deadweight she has devised and performed in their shows Keep Me In The Loop (2022), RUBBERNECKS (2023), and The Manikins (2024). She also devised and performed in Strange Contagions (2023) under the theatre company SOAPBOX. She studied Theatre and Art History at the University of Florida before her MA in Advanced Theatre Practice at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She uses her multidisciplinary background to explore immersion, multi-sensory and personal connection in theatre. She has written and directed two original works: The Pink Umbrella Club and The First Lady Has Spoken!