Lighting for Small Groups

When shooting a single person portrait with my ST-E2 on a 10D, I place one 550EX at 45 degrees as a key light and a 420EX as a fill next to the 10D. The flashes are in soft boxes at a 1:3 ratio. I use various color corrected hot lights to illuminate background and hair.

When shooting small groups, two to five people, is the normal expectation that each person be equally illuminated? If equal illumination is the goal, should I put the two flashes equidistant from the camera at a 1:1 ratio?

Yes, each person should be equally illuminated. With five people, you should be able to attain that goal by keeping your present set-up. More than five (up to 8), I usually bring my main light closer to the camera. In larger groups 10 and above, I usually will go with the two flashes equidistant to the camera (1:1) ratio so that I do not have any light fall-off on edges. There is a limit to what you can expect when using the 550EXs in large groups, especially when you shoot through a soft box. You either have to reduce the shutter speed, open f stops or increase ISO. It depends, also, on the location. In a gym, you do not have much bounce light compared to a small room. If you have a digital camera, you can always check the effect on the LCD, before you commit to a final shot.