The union representing theater performers said on Wednesday that it was beginning a national campaign to persuade the Tony Awards to create annual prizes for ensembles and choruses.

The Tonys, which each year recognize work in plays and musicals on Broadway, currently honor performances only by actors in leading and supporting roles. But many regional theater contests honor the work of the rest of the cast — for example, the Jeff Awards in Chicago have an annual prize for the best ensemble.

“We feel like everybody onstage needs to be able to compete to receive recognition for their performance,” said Mary McColl, executive director of the union, Actors’ Equity, which represents more than 51,000 actors and stage managers. “There has been this wide swath of actors that have not had the opportunity to be rewarded that way, and for multiple reasons this seems like a very good time for us to make this request and have this conversation.”

Equity said it had already informed the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing, which oversee the Tony Awards, of its request, and that it would now press its case with an online petition. The union said it was hoping to see the categories added in the next theater season. (It is too late to add categories for this season, which ends in a few weeks.)