For nearly 20 years, Equity has celebrated the chorus with the ACCA Award for Outstanding Broadway Chorus.

For many decades, awards have been a major way to celebrate the achievements of theatre artists. Of course, this system does not include all theatre professionals, and one major group to fall through the gaps is chorus performers. There are no major awards – let alone Tony Awards – that honor the accomplishments of a theatrical chorus. Equity has long advocated for changing that, but in the meantime, the union established its own award in 2007.

"The ACCA Award reminds people about this hardworking group," said Equity Principal Councilor Jennifer Cody, who previously served as the union's 2nd vice president for the chorus and chair of the Advisory Committee on Chorus Affairs. "The more we let the public know about the chorus and that we honor them, it could change the culture."

Any musical that opens on Broadway with a chorus which can be upwards of a dozen or more each season, is eligible for the award. The voters are the chorus performers' industry peers: Equity chorus councilors, members of the ACCA and previous recipients of Equity's Legacy Robe. These voters see each nominated production and consider the chorus requirements made by each production's director, choreographer and musical director; the caliber of technical skill used to execute those requirements; and the unique contributions made by the entire chorus to the overall production.

"I hate that we have to pick one," said Cody, who understands that the inherent competitive nature of awards has its own downsides, but loves the spotlight enabled by the honor. "I do love the idea of having people go and ask, 'What does this chorus actually do? What makes their work special? How do they tell this story?' and have to focus on the chorus."

There was an exception to this rule, when Equity used Broadway's reopening post-COVID shutdown to celebrate all chorus workers there. In 2022, the ACCA issued two special awards, one to all the Broadway choruses working on the 2019–2020 season disrupted by the pandemic, and one for the choruses of the 2021–2022 season that brought Broadway back.

The 2025 winners were the eight-person chorus of Buena Vista Social Club: Angelica Maria Beliard, Carlos E. Gonzalez, Hector Maisonet, Ilda Mason, Marielys Molina, Carlos Sanchez Falú, Anthony Santos and Legacy Robe recipient Tanairi Sade Vazquez.

In recent years, the presentation of the award has become more formal, and representatives from the cast accepted this award at the Actors' Equity Foundation Awards ceremony.

"We hold each other. We make each other laugh. We drive each other crazy," said chorus performer Ilda Mason in her speech on behalf of the Buena Vista Social Club chorus that evening. "It is an incredible honor to be a part of this community. We never feel alone. We've been saying that lately in our theatre: the power of community."

The ACCA Award is making an impact on the industry. In recent years, productions have started advertising themselves as ACCA nominees or winners, highlighting how remarkable their ensemble is to potential audiences.

The wellbeing of the chorus in the theatre industry is crucial, and it relies on union collective bargaining agreements, job opportunities nationwide and so much more. The ACCA Award is one piece of the conversation, and the road to a Tony award recognizing chorus performers is not guaranteed. But Equity leaders are proud to make the first move in establishing formal recognition for these talented, hardworking performers.

"How often do you see a show that there's a chorus member you can't take your eyes off of? " asked Cody. "Hopefully this is a step in bringing focus towards those people."

From its inception, ACCA Award winners have been:

• Legally Blonde (2007)
• In the Heights (2008)
• West Side Story (2009)
• Fela! (2010)
• The Scottsboro Boys (2011)
• Newsies (2012)
• Pippin (2013)
• Beautiful – The Carole King Musical (2014)
• An American in Paris (2015)
• Shuffle Along, Or The Making Of The Musical Sensation Of 1921 And All That Followed (2016)
• Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (2017)
• Once on This Island (2018)
• Hadestown (2019)
• All Broadway choruses working on the 2019-2020 season disrupted by the pandemic (2022)
• All Broadway choruses working on the 2021-2022 season that brought Broadway back (2022)
• New York, New York (2023)
• The Heart of Rock and Roll (2024)