It's Time for a Tony for Best Ensemble

Why isn't there a Tony Award for Best Ensemble yet?

Now before the Tony "purists" start in on me, let me make a couple of things clear:

1. I don't think a Tony Award should become a participation ribbon.

2. I know there are some areas of theatre that would be near impossible to properly adjudicate, ie. Stage Manager. 

However, the overall performance of members in the ensemble is an area that certainly could be adjudicated as part of the Tony nomination process. From the performance of various roles, conciseness of choreography, and harmonization, there is a lot to consider.

And it's not like entire casts or ensembles aren't awarded in other industries. In addition to the ACCA Award, the Screen Actor's Guild also awards entire casts of movies and television shows, even more so, they are the final awards of the ceremony. 

I'm not looking to add competition into the Broadway season, but it would be nice to truly recognize these incredibly hard-working performers with more than just a group performance during the telecast.

With all due respect to talent in the lead and featured roles, a quality performance from the ensemble is, in many cases, just as important. These people play more roles in more performances for less money. And for far too many of them, this might be the only time they perform on these stages.  

I sincerely hope the Tony Awards truly step up and recognize these performers and etch their names in Tony history.