'Arrow' Star Emily Bett Rickards to Appear in Theatre Production 'Reborning'

Arrow star Emily Bett Rickards is taking a bit of a departure from Felicity Smoak this summer. The actress is taking the stage in a theater production of Reborning next month.

Reality Curve Theatre in Vancouver announced today that Rickards will appear in their production of Reborning, a one-act play by Zayd Dohrn. For Rickards, who has played Felicity for six seasons on The CW's Arrow along with appearances on fellow Arrowverse shows The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, being part of Reborning signals an opportunity to be part of the theater community that was a large part of her childhood.

"I grew up in Vancouver going to the theatre and starving for more, so to say I'm honored to be a part of this production in my home town would be an understatement," Rickards said in a statement. "It's creepy and cool and quick, weird and fun. I cannot wait."

Reborning is centered around Kelly, played by Rickards, an artist whose work is called "reborning" -- a craft in which dolls are meticulously turned into unique, extremely realistic creations. In the dark comedy, Kelly's creations are made for customers with a variety of reasons for wanting the hyper-realistic dolls, including those trying to get past the grief of a lost child. It's the work on one such doll for a customer that sends Kelly, her boyfriend, and her client down an interesting path, one that explores mental health, trauma, and the nature of creation.

It will be an interesting departure for Rickards, character-wise. On Arrow this past season, fans have seen Felicity undergo some major life changes including finally marrying Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and becoming stepmother to his son, William, only for her life to shift again when Oliver ended up in supermax prison in the season finale. It's a move that leaves Felicity in the role of single parent, and though fans are hopeful that Felicity and Oliver will somehow expand on their family in the upcoming seventh season, a baby isn't something Rickards is too keen on just yet.

"I don't know if I would be interested in exploring that storyline right now with Felicity," Rickards said. "I feel like she deserves a little something more than that, and I don't want that to be taken the wrong way. I'd just be interested in seeing her, I don't know, like deal with a villain face-to-face for a consistent number of episodes."

Arrow will return to The CW on Monday nights at 8/7c this fall.

The Reality Curve Theatre production of Reborning runs from June 21 through June 30 at The Orpheum Annex in Vancouver, British Columbia.