April Bracken

Performing Artist & Drama Facilitator

About

A neurodivergent performing artist and facilitator based in Dublin, April (she/her) is passionate about creating accessible, inclusive artistic experiences for young people. In 2024, April was awarded the Arts Council’s Children & Young People’s Arts bursary, during which she created a work-in-progress performance for young audiences with complex needs. Based on her research from this bursary, April is currently developing a full performance for young audiences with complex needs as part of the Arts Council's Children & Young People Arts 2026 Project Award. Supporting her work in this area is Baboró’s 2023-2024 Breaking Ground bursary, a development opportunity for artists creating work for children with additional needs.
In 2026, April will collaborate with her local YMCA hub to deliver an early years arts residency based on puppetry and storytelling, funded by the Dublin Local Authorities 2026 Exploring & Thinking Award. As part of the Dublin Local Authorities’ 2024 Exploring & Thinking Award, April designed and delivered a creative residency at a local preschool with mentorship from early childhood arts practitioner and visual artist Orla Kelly. April also designed and delivered Here We Are Now, a devising project with LGBTQ+/youth groups (Cruinniú na nÓg 2023) and Page Turners, a theatre co-creation project with children attending her local primary school’s nurture room (Fingal County Council 2023). April is currently a drama facilitator for Play In A Day, an OIDE initiative to bring devising skills into secondary school classrooms, and for Creative TY Connections, multi-modular community education programme that brings together adults with disabilities and transition year students for mutual learning and development.

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