Tampa actor Lance Markeith Felton is incapable of making a false move—on stage, at the mic, or in the classroom

Lance Markeith Felton at Dave Decker Photography in Ybor City, Florida on Jan. 12, 2026. Credit: Dave Decker / Creative Loafing Tampa BayCreative Loafing Tampa Bay’s spring arts issue features more than a dozen artists to watch this year and beyond. As Kitch, a young Black man contemplating escape to a better life, his performance was indelible—utterly natural, effortless, true. Before high school, he performed in Black history plays produced by Hillsborough County educator Dr. Phyllis Tucker-Wicks. He’s also a playwright; he has performed Black History They Don’t Want You to Know at Stageworks and in American Stage’s Beyond the Stage series. Which ties in nicely to his day job: He teaches sixth grade history at Academy Prep in Tampa.