She appeared on Broadway in Mule Bone, and in touring or regional companies of The Wake of Jeremy Foster, The Member of the Wedding, The Ride Down Mt.

[3] On television, she had small roles in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Scrubs, Weeds, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Godfather of Harlem, The Punisher, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Blue Bloods, 2 Broke Girls, Mad Men, Desperate Housewives, Girlfriends, Crossing Jordan, and The Chris Rock Show.

Her film credits included appearances in After School (2008), Proud American (2008), Yes Man (2008), Dance Fu (2011), Different Flowers (2017), and Deadtectives (2018).

Bruton published a book of poetry, Just as I am, and a memoir, Brown Gal's Rising,[4] and an autobiographical one-woman show, Watermelon: Git It While It's Hot!.

[5] She participated in the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab in 1998, and performed at festivals about women in jazz in Hartford in 1999 and 2001.