PETER FELDMAN
She admits: “I mine Judaism and the Jewish community for comedy – it’s a rich, flowing source. There is definitely something definitive about Jewish humour.”
This attractive entertainer, who is in her early 30s, has already left her mark on the comedy circuit in South Africa with her unique style. She said she always knew that she wanted to make entertainment, in one form or another, a part of her life. “It’s fair to say that I had an in-built ability to make people laugh.
“In primary school they don’t exactly explain that it’s possible to make a living from reading out of your ’99 Jokes’ book,” she told Jewish Report.
Apter, who attended King David Sandton, Wendywood High and Crawford College, originally just wanted to direct comedy for TV and film. “I then went to AFDA (the film school) and as a director you were forced to take writing as a sub-major so that you could write your own scripts – and I’m thankful for being forced to do it because otherwise I may not have explored it. And that would have been dumb.”
Asked about her influences, she said: “Many of the great ‘80s and ‘90s comedy films like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; The Three Amigos and pretty much anything else with Steve Martin, Chevy Chase or Eddie Murphy in them and later shows like Saturday Night Live.”
In more recent years she’s been inspired by a host of female comediennes and comedy writers like Tina Fey, Sarah Silverman and Amy Schumer. Her list is long, and continues to grow.
Apter has been working as a professional comedy writer since 2005, using a variety of different platforms. Her work includes: Marc Lottering’s sitcom, Loitering in Jozi; satirical news show, ZAnews; a sitcom recently aired on SABC3; Those Who Can’t, a comedy show flighted last year on SABC3 which recently won a SAFTA award, and most recently, Nik Rabinowitz’s 2016 one-man stage show, Power Struggle.
Apter started performing in her own right in 2015. Her style is mostly observational – sometimes easygoing and other times more aggressive, depending on the subject. And the subjects, mostly autobiographical, are wide-ranging – from navigating the waters of being in her 30s to the curse of having to teach her parents about technology, to the reasons we no longer love Nicolas Cage.
She revealed that working with established comedy names such as Nik Rabinowitz and Marc Lottering gave her great insight into the more purist world of comedy such as stand-up where you learn unequivocally whether or not something is funny. “An audience will tell you immediately whether it works, as opposed to writing shows where you’re more or less writing in a vacuum.”
Her inspiration is drawn from everything she sees and hears around her. “Sometimes it’s something in the news, sometimes I’m eavesdropping and sometimes it’s something a person says at a table that I’m actually sitting at.”
She described comedy in South Africa as being “fantastic” because it’s growing and stretching in every direction. “I think the biggest developments are happening in stand-up comedy and those performing in that space also seem now to be driving comedy in other formats whether it’s TV, web series, or podcasts.”
Apter performs regularly at The Box Comedy on a Sunday night (Maboneng Precinct); Poppy’s on a Monday night (Melville); Kitchners on Tuesday night (Braamfontein); Steamworks or Parkers on a Wednesday night (Montecasino, Fourways) and Goliath Comedy Club on Thursday-Saturday (Melrose Arch).
Asked how she relaxes, she responded: “I just think of the stress of being on stage when I’m not, and it instantly relaxes me. I recommend this!”
