Over and Out

One actor. 50 minutes. Countless emotional potholes. Created from a real interview with a long-haul truck driver, OVER AND OUT takes audiences along for a funny, heartfelt and unexpected ride through the often-overlooked life of one of Aotearoa’s essential workers.

Over and Out is a compact solo show that feels surprisingly expansive, built on a simple premise that unfolds into something funny, warm and quietly affecting. Created and performed by Jackson Burling and directed by Simon Leary, the production uses verbatim theatre to explore the life of a long‑haul truck driver and the performer’s own questions about work, identity and the paths we inherit. It is accessible, sharply executed and full of personality, offering newcomers an easy entry point into a form that can sometimes feel opaque.

The show begins with Burling addressing the audience directly, explaining how verbatim theatre works. He demonstrates how he uses recorded interviews, how he shapes speech patterns and how he shifts between characters. This introduction is playful and disarming, immediately establishing a sense of trust. Burling is charismatic without being self‑indulgent, guiding the audience through the mechanics of the form with humour and clarity. It is a clever way to bring everyone on board, especially those unfamiliar with verbatim performance.

The central question of the show is deceptively simple: should Burling have become a truck driver instead of an actor? It is a question rooted in a childhood warning from his father, a line that stuck with him long enough to become the seed of this production. Rather than answering it directly, Burling revisits the world of trucking through a real interview with Murphy, a veteran driver whose voice becomes the backbone of the performance.

Murphy is introduced gradually. Burling shifts into the character with small adjustments in posture, tone and rhythm, using a trucker’s cap as the only physical marker. The transformation is subtle but effective. Murphy’s presence is grounded, shaped by decades on the road, long nights, relentless hours and a philosophy built on resilience.

What makes the show compelling is how Burling moves between himself and Murphy. The transitions are at times seamless, other times exaggerated for effect, allowing the audience to see both the differences and the unexpected similarities between their worlds. Burling’s life in the arts is shaped by uncertainty, financial instability and the constant need to justify creative choices. Murphy’s life is shaped by routine, physical endurance and a deep commitment to a job that most people never think about. The show does not present one path as better than the other. Instead, it sits within the tension, exploring how both require sacrifice, resilience and a willingness to adapt.

The production design supports this duality with thoughtful restraint. Rebekah de Roo’s projection work adds texture without overwhelming the performance, offering visual cues that echo the movement of trucks across highways or the shifting mental landscapes of someone questioning their direction. Jacob Banks’ lighting design is particularly striking. A flickering lamp becomes a recurring symbol, hinting at unresolved tension, possibility or simply the persistent pull of another future. The lamp’s intermittent glow adds emotional depth without revealing too much, allowing the audience to interpret its meaning for themselves.

Oliver Devlin’s sound design is sharp and well timed. Audio cues punctuate the storytelling, grounding Murphy’s recollections in the sensory reality of the road. The hum of an engine, the quiet of a late‑night drive and the ambient noise of truck stops appear subtly, enhancing the verbatim material without distracting from Burling’s performance.

The show’s pacing is tight. At just 50 minutes, it moves quickly without feeling rushed. Burling uses exaggerated motions and vocal shifts to keep the audience engaged, but he never loses authenticity. His comedic timing is sharp, and his dramatic moments land with sincerity. He is a performer who understands how to hold a room, how to guide an audience through tonal shifts, and how to make a solo show feel rich and layered.

One of the strengths of Over and Out is how it treats Murphy’s world with respect. The show acknowledges the demanding nature of long‑haul trucking, the missed milestones, the physical toll and the emotional strain, but it never reduces Murphy to a symbol of hardship. Instead, he emerges as a man of humour, resilience and hard‑earned wisdom. Burling’s portrayal is empathetic, allowing Murphy’s voice to stand on its own without embellishment.

The show also avoids the trap of using Murphy’s interview solely to validate Burling’s own career choices. At first, it seems like the contrast between “artist” and “trucker” might be played for laughs or used to justify the performer’s path. But as the performance unfolds, the nuance becomes clear. Burling allows Murphy’s worldview to challenge his assumptions. The show becomes less about proving a point and more about exploring how identity is shaped by work, family and the stories we inherit.

Thematically, Over and Out touches on masculinity, mental health, family expectations and the quiet pressures that shape a life. Conversations around suicide and death appear, handled with care and honesty. The show acknowledges the emotional strain of both trucking and artistic work without sensationalising either. It treats Murphy’s life with dignity and Burling’s doubts with empathy.

By the end, the audience has travelled through two worlds that seem incompatible but are connected by shared humanity. Burling does not offer a neat conclusion. He does not declare one path better than the other. Instead, he leaves the audience with a sense of openness. The show becomes a reminder that identity is not fixed, that choices are rarely simple and that understanding someone else’s life requires listening rather than judging.

Over and Out is well-executed, accessible, heartfelt, and quietly profound. It is a celebration of verbatim theatre, a tribute to essential workers and a personal exploration of what it means to choose a life. Burling’s warmth and skill make the performance memorable, and the production team elevates the material with thoughtful design. It is a show that invites reflection without forcing it, offering humour, honesty and a surprising amount of heart.

Over and Out runs from 4 - 8 August 2026 at Auckland’s Q Theatre. Purchase tickets here.

Review written by Alex Moulton