In the past year, as well as making his Broadway debut with “Frost/Nixon,” lighting designer Austin found time to light an astonishing 17 other shows at the U.K.’s key theater addresses. His painterly use of light — especially visible in Marianne Elliott’s “Therese Raquin” (National Theater) and Michael Grandage’s “The Wild Duck” (Donmar Warehouse) — is not only beautifully atmospheric, it controls audience focus. Not for nothing does he describe his job as the theater equivalent of “lighting, cameraman and editor rolled in one.” His persuasive control of tone and flow may stem from his initial career choice: He trained as a classical ballet dancer. Future projects include Trevor Nunn’s adaptation of “Gone With the Wind.”
