Her older brother Harald Heide was a violinist and composer, and at the age of twelve Signe played the violin at local events.

[4] After growing up in Holmestrand and Fredrikstad, she appeared as an extra for a production of Leo Tolstoy's The Power of Darkness at the Akersgaden Theater, and for a while she studied under Thora Hansson.

On August 2, 1903, she made her debut at the Central Theater in the play Thummelumsen by the Danish writer Gustav Wied.

After two years, she was engaged for one year at the National Theater in Bergen before she started at the National Theater in Oslo, where, while playing Valencienne, she met her husband Harald Steen (1886–1941), who was playing Count Camille de Rosillon in the first performance of The Merry Widow.

Afterward, she performed on the capital's revue stages at venues such as Chat Noir, where she celebrated her 40th birthday as an artist, and she also appeared in revues by Ernst Rolf at the Casino theater.