>There are well-known stars who make between $10-20 thousand per contract (which may last about 6 months, commonly) despite having a leading role
You might be thinking of Off Broadway - all of Broadway has to pay Equity rates, which as of last October was $1,754 per week. The minimum an actor would make on a six month Broadway contract would be ~$45k (normally slightly more, there are a number of things Equity adds on top, like Per Diems, chorus fees, etc).
This is still not a lot, and of course many actors may go months without work. Non-equity gigs are also often much lower paying.
You might be thinking of Off Broadway - all of Broadway has to pay Equity rates, which as of last October was $1,754 per week. The minimum an actor would make on a six month Broadway contract would be ~$45k (normally slightly more, there are a number of things Equity adds on top, like Per Diems, chorus fees, etc).
This is still not a lot, and of course many actors may go months without work. Non-equity gigs are also often much lower paying.