If you told Pencilbox Comedy mastermind Patrick Alcantara a couple of years ago that his team would be bringing their comedy sketches to life in front of a thousand live audience, he might’ve just laughed at you.
Pencilbox is about to celebrate its second anniversary on October 26, 2025 with the live comedy event SUN2KAN SA SKYDOME at the SM North EDSA Skydome, and Patrick can’t help but look back on how things were drastically different when they were just starting out.
Fresh out of a major TV production that had the luxury of a big budget, he had to adjust significantly when they were planning the first Pencilbox taping. According to Patrick, it was like going back to his film school days when he still had to ask for favors to make things happen. “Nag-shoot kami sa rooftop ng punerarya dahil ’yung materyal na ilalabas namin, iikot sa punerarya (and death),” he shared. “Apat na sketches lang ang ginawa namin nu’n dahil wala pa kaming budget.”\
Ironically, it was also “death” that spurred the idea for Pencilbox Comedy. Growing up at a time when TV comedies were shown during prime time, Patrick naturally aspired for a career in comedy writing. But when he finally made it to the industry, his arrival coincided with the slow death of such shows, which also saw his fellow comedy writers get laid off.
Patrick said, “Since may background na ’ko sa social media, sinubukan kong gumawa ng ‘show’ online para mabigyan ng bahay ’yung comedy writers na kagaya ko. In short, kailangan ko lang ng raket.”
He then kickstarted the idea by inviting a handful of standup comedians to a proper workshop, where they were taught the principles of comedy writing. After 10 grueling sessions of late-night pitching and brainstorming, Patrick decided to green-light the project with the help of his support group.
Fast-forward to today, Pencilbox Comedy has amassed more than 1.3 million followers on Facebook (662K on TikTok, 157K on Instagram, 32K on YouTube) at the time of writing. The online comedy group has regularly uploaded sketches, gags, and its signature improv segment ‘Ang Arte Mo,’ while also giving its pool of writers—Jay Sario, Chanchan Consing, Arghie, Emman Lauz, Jarvin Pastor, Juan Paulo, JP Aguilera, Mark Llamado, Rae Mammuad, Arcie Castor, Richard Tan, Russel Arabis—and crew of actors—Charuth, Donna Cariaga, Kate Alejandrino, Issa De Los Santos, Princess Singh, Claire Llantos, Ching Gervacio, Burong—a home where they can flex their comedic chops.
For Patrick, their upcoming second anniversary celebration feels more special, especially considering the fact that Pencilbox almost didn’t attain that huge of a following after its first Facebook page got flagged for multiple content violations.
He recalled, “Malungkot ’yung first anniversary dahil alam naman namin na walang dapat i-celebrate, pero nagpapanggap kami na may nangyayari. After making adjustments sa social media at sa editing, du’n na nag-hit ’yung Pencilbox.”
Those same restrictions (or lack thereof) are the same reason Pencilbox fans should not miss SUN2KAN SA SKYDOME. Patrick promised: “Mas wild at mas gago ’yung gagawin namin sa Skydome dahil wala nang censorship ng social media doon. Ilalabas namin ’yung mga gusto naming sabihin nang walang pag-aalinlangan.”
Witness the full cast of Pencilbox take sketch, gag, and improv hilarity to the stage at SUN2KAN SA SKYDOME on October 26, 2025 at the SM North EDSA Skydome. Get your tickets at SM Tickets, and follow Pencilbox Comedy on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
