New York – Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, has announced the nominees for this season’s ACCA Award for Outstanding Broadway Chorus, honoring the chorus performers in a Broadway show. This year's nominees are the choruses of the following productions:
- Hell’s Kitchen
- The Heart of Rock & Roll
- The Outsiders
- Water for Elephants
Presented by Equity’s Advisory Committee on Chorus Affairs, the ACCA Award is the only industry accolade of its kind to honor the distinctive talents and contributions made by the original chorus members of a Broadway musical.
“This season has been an incredibly exciting one for the chorus,” said Al Bundonis, 2nd vice president of Actors’ Equity Association and chair of the ACCA. “In fact, there were more eligible companies than any other year since the ACCA Award for Outstanding Broadway Chorus began. The work of the chorus is not just vital to the storytelling of an individual production, but to the industry as a whole, and that contribution needs to be recognized. It is our hope that the Tonys and other theatre awards across the country will join us in honoring these gifted professionals for the incredible artistry, athleticism and passion they deliver on our stages every day."
Nominations for the ACCA Award were determined by Equity chorus councilors who sit on the ACCA and saw every eligible production; the award will be voted on by members of the ACCA, as well as past recipients of Equity’s Legacy Robe, which is awarded to the member of the chorus in each show who has the most Broadway chorus credits. In reviewing each nominated chorus, voters will 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.
The winner of this year's ACCA award will be announced on Friday, June 14, and the award will be presented alongside this year’s Actors’ Equity Foundation Awards at a ceremony on June 24 in New York City.
Previous recipients of the ACCA award are the original chorus members of 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) and New York, New York (2023). 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.
ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. www.actorsequity.org #EquityWorks
# # #
May 17, 2024
