SFist Jessie takes the 1960s to ancient times at the East Bay theater.

If you've ever wondered what the Weather Underground and The Book of Jeremiah could have in common, then check out the innovative new production I Have Loved Strangers from Berkeley-based theater company, Just Theater.

We don't claim to know a whole lot about theater (although, yes, we did have a solo line in the Pirates of Penzance in the 7th grade), but we can't stop talking about the plays and readings coming from Just Theater this past year. And while yes, we do personally know some of the Just Theater folk -- we didn’t know they could do such cool stuff. We left I Have Loved Strangers feeling half-inspired/amazed, half-disturbed/ provoked, all-around impressed. Not a bad way to spend 75 minutes.

Before I Have Loved Strangers even started, producer Molly Aaronson-Gelb came out and spoke about the play, explaining that there won’t be any easy-to-follow narrative (a sort of ‘heads up, you might get a little confused’). We appreciated the advance notice, because there were definitely scenes that didn’t always make sense, but we just rode those out (it’s worth it).

The play follows three very separate strands: an ancient biblical prophet (Jeremiah), a modern-day guru and his wife, and a group of underground student revolutionaries in ancient New York. Eventually these strands are interwoven –as the play evolves, we got a better sense of the characters and their struggles. Highlights for us included an eerie night/outdoors scene, and really any scene with actor Ryan Oden who plays Jeremiah.

Directed by Jonathan Spector (from the Playwrights Foundation) and written by New York-based playwright Anne Washburn, I Have Loved Strangers is playing at the Berkeley City Club on Durant Avenue in Berkeley (near BART). The venue is small with a classy-retro feel (designed by / Julia Morgan ). Spector and the cast play with this space well to explore everything from prophets to revolution to relationships.

I Have Loved Strangers is playing Thursday- Saturday until May 26th. Shows start at 8 and it's sliding scale, $12-25. Come out and support your local theater (well worth a trip across the bay, you city folk). Just Theater is shaking things up.