Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to April Brucker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have April with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I grew up in Bethel Park, a small town outside of Pittsburgh, with two parents who believed deeply in hard work. My father worked two jobs, seven days a week. My mom thought “too much leisure time” was practically a character flaw. Work wasn’t optional in our house—it was how you showed up in the world.
When I was thirteen, I got my first ventriloquist puppet, Groucho Marx, and decided I wanted to be in show business. From that moment on, I did everything I could. I hosted three public-access TV shows: AprilTalk (an interview show), April Rock (featuring bands), and Storytime with April and Friends, where my puppet, Sweetie Pie, and I read bedtime stories to kids. I acted in community theater, performed in my high school musicals, and wrote for the youth section of the local paper.
My mom was very clear: if I wanted to do “the showbiz thing” for real, I needed a day job. So, I bagged groceries and worked as a lifeguard to pay for acting, singing, and dance lessons.
I attended NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where I learned an important truth early on: show business isn’t for people who need it—it’s for people who want it. And I wanted it badly. I soaked up everything I could about acting, casting, and the industry.
After graduating, I met my former fiancé, Sean. He made me choose between him and my puppets. At the time, I chose him. I knew how much luck plays into this business, and I put my puppets away. But a year later—after more red flags than I can count—I looked under my bed and saw my puppets collecting dust. That was my wake-up call. I dumped Sean, committed fully to ventriloquism, and never looked back.
I performed anywhere that would have me: open mics, bad bar shows, bowling alleys, laundromats, and even on the street. To support myself and my puppets, I delivered singing telegrams, worked as a promotional model, did canvassing, and—only in New York—worked as a tarot reader. (Don’t ask.)
One day, while I was street performing in Brooklyn, a guy with a camera asked to photograph my diva puppet sidekick, May Wilson, and me. I said yes. About a year later, I got a call. His girlfriend worked in casting and wanted to know if the rumor was true—had I really dumped my fiancé for my puppets? They were casting a new show called My Strange Addiction. Next thing I knew, I was on TV with my puppets, and now the show is streaming worldwide.
Some YouTubers have commented on the episode, and one said I’m addicted to hustling and working hard. I don’t take it personally. There are far worse things to be addicted to.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Dubbed the “ventriloquial vixen” by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, April Brucker is an American actress, comedienne and television personality. Her television credits include her streaming comedy special “April Backstage,” plus “Entertainment Tonight” (CBS Paramount), “Inside Edition” (King World), “Judge Jerry” (NBC Universal), “The Layover” (Travel Channel), “My Strange Addiction” (TLC), “Today” (NBC), “Secret Restoration” (HISTORY), “Videos After Dark” (ABC), “The Wendy Williams Show” (FOX), “What’s My Secret?” (MTV), “What Would You Do?” (ABC) and many other network, cable and international TV shows.
Growing up in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, April spent more than a decade living, acting and performing in New York City at cabarets (Don’t Tell Mama, The Duplex, The Metropolitan Room), in comedy clubs (Broadway Comedy Club, New York Comedy Club, Standup New York) and in off-Broadway shows, including “Murdered By The Mob,” New York’s longest running dinner theater production.
In Las Vegas, she has performed at Notoriety Theater, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and in a nine month engagement as the special guest star in the classic Vegas showgirl revue “BurlesQ.” April is the host of “April in Vegas,” a streaming TV chat show produced on location at The English Hotel, a new Marriott Tribute Portfolio boutique hotel in the Las Vegas Arts District.
Ever since her ex-fiancé made her choose between him and her puppets, as chronicled by the “Daily Mail” UK tabloid, April Brucker has been just desperately seeking “Mr. Okay”.” April and her puppet sidekick May Wilson have extended holiday greetings to a long line of “Mister Not-So-Okays” in their debut recording, “Merry Christmas, I’m So Glad I Didn’t Marry You!.” April and her Valley Girl dummy May Wilson collaborated with The World Famous Ink Spots on the single “That’s the Way It Is,” a reprise of the classic 1945 recording famously performed as a duet with Ella Fitzgerald and Ink Spots lead singer Bill Kenny. Both recordings are available on major streaming platforms.
April earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Acting at New York University’s Tisch School and was awarded a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing & Screenwriting from Antioch University Los Angeles. She is the author of “Don’t Read My Lips!” and “I Came, I Saw I Sang.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I say my three qualities are honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness—and here’s how I practice them.
I always start with honesty, because in show business, talent can be tempted to exaggerate or say yes to things they can’t do just to get a break. That usually backfires. It wastes your time and the time of the people who might otherwise hire you. I’ve learned that telling the truth builds trust—and your word really is your bond. People remember that.
Second is open-mindedness. I always loved music and performed in musicals in high school, but I considered myself a straight actor, not a singer. When I got to college, I took a singing class as an elective at Lee Strasberg Institute—and I was terrified. I was surrounded by Broadway-level singers in New York City. Luckily, my teacher, Jan Eric Douglas, taught singing through standards from the American Songbook. That approach changed everything.
After college, I needed a job, and when the opportunity came to work as a singing telegrammer, I said yes. Years later, that same openness came full circle when The World Famous Ink Spots approached me about recording a duet with my gold-digging diva puppet, May Wilson. The song, “That’s The Way It Is,” was originally recorded by Ella Fitzgerald and The Ink Spots in 1943. At first, I thought the idea was completely crazy—but then I remembered I had trained on standards. The song is now streaming worldwide. That only happened because I stayed open to paths I never originally planned.
Lastly, there’s willingness. You must be in this to win this. I began getting more opportunities to write pilots for my puppets and myself, so I knew I needed to deepen my writing skills. I was already working full-time, but when I discovered Antioch University Los Angeles, its low-residency MFA program fit my life perfectly. I earned my degree while continuing to perform and appearing as Cookie in Murdered by The Mob, the longest-running Off-Broadway dinner-theatre production.
After earning my MFA, I moved to Las Vegas to open my one-woman show, April Unwrapped. We had two preview performances in February 2020 and were set to open the following month—then the world shut down. I’d been told for years that I should write a book about ventriloquism, so during the pandemic, I finally did. I wrote Don’t Read My Lips: America’s Foremost Female Ventriloquist Reveals the Secrets of How to Be a Successful Vent. Writing it didn’t just make me a better writer—it made me a better ventriloquist and taught me an important lesson: when one door closes, you don’t wait—you build another one.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
If I had only one decade of my life left, I would spend it creating as much as possible. I’d want to leave behind a body of work I’m truly proud of—not just for myself, but for the next generation. I’d want them to see that the artist’s journey isn’t a waste of time or a detour from “real life,” but something deeply fulfilling and worth committing to.
That said, I fully intend to have many decades left. My long-term goal is to be a little old lady with a collection of puppets, a lifetime of wild stories, and absolutely no filter. And somewhere along the way, I’d like to travel the world in a hot air balloon—because if you’re going to dream, you might as well do it from a great view.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aprilbrucker.tv
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaprilbrucker
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theaprilbrucker
- Twitter: https://www.x.com/aprilbrucker
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/aprilbruckercomedy
Image Credits
Clinton Ford Billups Jr
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